Another Worrisome Employee Free Choice Act Myth

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 by Admin

In Wyoming, they’re talking Employee Free Choice Act, which is good. But some of the things they’re saying could be misleading. Consider this argument for the bill (and as a response to a criticism of EFCA) from Brett Schock of Casper:

Mr. Hinkle, you have nothing to worry about with the passing of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). As you are a fair employer and “proud of your great working relations with your employees,” this legislation will have no impact upon your business. The Employee Free Choice Act is proposed to address employers that run roughshod over their employees and threaten their jobs if the workers request union representation. The EFCA allows for a secret ballot vote to be held for union representation without the illegal and biased harassment from the employer.

Tsk tsk. Where to begin? Again, and we’re displeased to have to touch on this point, the EFCA may technically allow for ballots in some cases but it effectively eliminates secret ballots.

But what of the question that good employers aren’t hurt? That’s balderdash. First, the bill would harm the overall economy and lead to lost jobs, according to a study by Dr. Anne Layne-Farrar. An overall impaired economy means everyone, including good employers, will feel the pain.

Second, card check or ambush elections mean employees could be mis-educated by union organizers and left with no time to make an informed decision. That’s unfair to everyone, and employees and a good employer are both equally harmed.

Meanwhile, the letter’s author also made this point:

Mr. Hinkle also erroneously stated union membership has dwindled; actually memberships has grown over 12 percent in the last year alone, thanks to the corporate greed and get rich mentality of big business at the cost of fair working wages and benefits to their employees.

Wait! If union membership is going up without the help of EFCA, then why do we need a bill that will kill jobs and effectively eliminate the secret ballot in workplace elections? Doesn’t sound like a very strong rationale for the bill to us.

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2 Responses to “Another Worrisome Employee Free Choice Act Myth”

  1. October 6th, 2009 at 9:06 am

    LaborUnionReport.com says:

    Let us not forget union “moles”–people who are paid by unions to get hired into company payrolls and unionize the company from within. One union mole was paid over $40,000 by the Steelworkers to try to unionize a company in Milwaukee.

  2. October 12th, 2009 at 8:43 pm

    Brett Schock says:

    I am flattered that your organization has chosen my editorial to try to make an example of, and in less than 12 hours after it was published. Wow! Of course, coming from a site that is financed by financed by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), who according to their website abc.org, represent 25,000 construction firms, it is obvious that you would distort the issue to aid your “union” of construction firms. This is a great example of why unions are needed, because little ol me, an individual being pushed around by “big business”.
    :)