Employee Free Choice Act Effectively Eliminates Secret Ballots. Effectively. Period.

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 by Admin

On this blog, as in so many other places, a heated debate is taking place over whether the Employee Free Choice Act ends secret ballots. Groups like the Associated Builders and Contractors tries to be careful about explaining that the bill would, indeed, effectively eliminate secret ballots.

Of course, EFCA proponents just keep churning out the talking points that “employees get to decide how they form a union.” Unfortunately, that’s not the case in practical terms. Either:

  1. Employees gather between 30 and 49 percent of cards, in which case there’s an election (because there’s not really evidence that a majority of employees want to join the union) or
  2. Unions have gathered more than 50 percent of cards (through whatever means available) and EFCA says there will be no election”the Board shall not direct an election…”

    3. As a columnist for the Arizona Republic notes:

    Advocates of the pro-union “card check” legislation claim that opponents are distorting what the Employee Free Choice Act does. Opponents, they claim, are spreading the lie that card check bans secret ballots in union elections. I haven’t seen anyone make that claim. But, in fact, card check does not ban secret elections. It merely makes them pointless.

    And that’s the point.

    We’re still searching for the proper metaphor/analogy/simile to explain why secret ballots would be effectively kaput while still technically on the books. Your suggestions for pithy ways to explain the issue are welcome!

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10 Responses to “Employee Free Choice Act Effectively Eliminates Secret Ballots. Effectively. Period.”

  1. March 30th, 2009 at 6:57 am

    The Truth About EFCA Is Lacing Up Its Shoes | thetruthaboutefca.com | The Truth About The Employee Free Choice Act & Card Check says:

    [...] it is incredibly unpopular to take away secret ballots, EFCA proponents are denying the realities of the law. Worse, they have taken part of a sentence from the Wall Street Journal to support their cause. The [...]

  2. April 8th, 2009 at 7:22 am

    An “Absolute Lie” On the Employee Free Choice Act | thetruthaboutefca.com | The Truth About The Employee Free Choice Act & Card Check says:

    [...] again, EFCA does effectively eliminate secret ballots … that’s not a lie, it’s a practical [...]

  3. April 8th, 2009 at 9:22 am

    Shopfloor says:

    [...] again, EFCA does effectively eliminate secret ballots

  4. May 23rd, 2009 at 1:57 am

    This Ain’t Dickens, Say No to Employee Free Choice Act - THE UNION LABEL says:

    [...] effectively eliminate secret ballot elections for U.S. workers deciding whether or not to join a union; and [...]

  5. July 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am

    Card Check Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them | thetruthaboutefca.com | The Truth About The Employee Free Choice Act & Card Check says:

    [...] The union’s lawyers say claims that EFCA will effectively end secret ballots — which it effectively does — are ” demonstrably [...]

  6. July 12th, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    Card Check Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them - dienekeslacedaemon’s Diary - RedState says:

    [...] advertisement. The union

  7. July 28th, 2009 at 6:05 am

    Card Check: Smears By Omission and Ignorance | thetruthaboutefca.com | The Truth About The Employee Free Choice Act & Card Check says:

    [...] Card check does effectively remove the secret ballot — anyone who claims otherwise does so in the face of evidence (namely, you know, the actual language in the bill itself). Will “Rick” read the bill before calling the next person a liar? We hope so, but doubt it. [...]

  8. September 30th, 2009 at 1:51 pm

    Big Government » Blog Archive » SEIU’s Texas Roadshow: Will They ‘Kill’ Your Company? says:

    [...] Imagine a union threatening to come “kill” your company because it didn’t want you to have the choice to choose a secret ballot. No wonder they’re spending so much time and money trying to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which would effectively eliminate secret ballots altogether. [...]

  9. October 1st, 2009 at 5:43 am

    SEIU says:

    [...] Imagine a union threatening to come

  10. March 14th, 2010 at 6:03 pm

    Card Check: More Opinion Than Fact | thetruthaboutefca.com | The Truth About The Employee Free Choice Act & Card Check says:

    [...] Those wascally wabits at the euphemistically named “American Rights At Work” labor front group are continuing in their mission to obfuscate about the effect of the equally euphemistic “Employee Free Choice Act.” In a letter, a spokesman claims: “The bill simply allows workers, not their bosses, to choose how they want to form a union.” Riiiight. Unless one has actually read the bill. [...]