thetruthaboutefca.com | The Truth About The Employee Free Choice Act & Card Check

It won’t, but that’s the very reasonable question from Rep. John Kline — readers of this blog will remember him well.

The setting for the question came at a House hearing at which Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis testified about her ongoing work. The Wall Street Journal had the Kline recap:

Meanwhile, Rep. John Kline (R., Minn.), the senior Republican on the House Education Committee, applauded the Obama administration for taking action to ease unemployment numbers, but criticized the controversial Employee Free Choice Act, which could make it easier for workers to join unions.

“I cannot help but question many of [the president's] proposed policies that seem to run contrary to the goal of job creation and economic certainty,” Mr. Kline said. He later added, “The question remains: how will ‘card check’ create and sustain jobs?”

Those who oppose EFCA have said the legislation could likely stump job growth, business activity and investments.

The truth, of course, is that EFCA will kill jobs and once again assault the free enterprise system. So long as jobs remain high on the administration’s agenda, EFCA should be at the bottom.

Come to think of it, EFCA should always be at the bottom of the agenda. That should simplify things nicely.

While some discuss “compromise” on an uncompromisingly bad bill, Rep. John Kline and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers are putting for a Republican alternative to the Employee Free Choice Act:

Our alternative — the Secret Ballot Protection Act, H.R. 1176 — permanently eliminates the uncertainty surrounding the union election process. It assures workers that no one — not a union organizer, not management

Look, informed people can disagree on important political issues. But before one goes shooting off their mouth — or their e-mouth, in the case of the Internet — it would be wise to do some sort of research. Yet proponents of the horrifically misnamed Employee Free Choice Act seem to go out of their way to push the bill while remaining grossly ignorant about the topic and underlying facts.

Case in point: “RickIsThinking” at DailyKos. In a recent diary, titled “The Employee Free Choice Act Should Not Get Watered Down,” Rick wasn’t thinking much when he wrote:

First came the talk of a possible compromise by removing the card check provision — now big business wants to do away with binding arbitration and the penalties it would face in not getting a first contract.

I read today that Representative John Kline, a republican from Minnesota (who I never heard of before today) said, “From my perspective the bill is very bad policy because it takes away the secret ballot.” But that is bullshit, it doesn’t take away the secret ballot at all. How does a politician get quoted in the news blatantly lying and get away with it? With all the deregulation, there is clearly zero regulation on these people.

Ugg. Where to begin? Here’s the quick version:

• 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.
• Deregulation as a boogeyman again, eh? American businesses, particularly small business, faces an enormous burden in red tape. A rough estimate puts the cost of regulatory compliance at more than $1.7 trillion each year.
• Again, regarding getting a first contract — setting an agreement covering every employee in the unit’s wages, hours, work rules, and benefits takes a while so EFCA’s rush to a contract ought to be troubling to more people. In fact, if one cares about workers, there would be more concern over having a contract imposed upon them by a government bureaucrat.

But there’s a statement — perhaps a small one, but an offensive one nonetheless — that gets our attention. “Rick” writes:

He also said that because the bill imposes binding arbitration and increases penalties on business, from his perspective … it is not a good law. BUT HAS THIS GUY EVER ORGANIZED A UNION? Has this guy ever even worked a day in this life?

Hmm… “Has this guy ever even worked a day in his life?” It sure would be awesome if there were some giant, accessible medium for searching and finding information like a representative’s bio. Since we have mastered the magical technology of the Internet, we popped over to see if indeed Rep. Kline was a shiftless ne’er-do-well and this is what we found:

Although this marks his first elected office, John Kline spent several years in Washington during his 25-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps. He distinguished himself as a helicopter pilot and earned the responsibility of flying Marine One, the President

This morning, Representatives John Kline and Tom Price had an op-ed in the Washington Times to defend the private ballot, which is under assault via the Employee Free Choice Act.

The Reps write:

During congressional testimony on the issue, one former union organizer described aggressive, often misleading, tactics employed in such a process. Workers were rarely shown an actual union contract, denied information about strikes and other controversial union practices, and pressured to sign the cards quickly without the opportunity to deliberate. If workers later changed their minds, organizers often refused to return the card or allow the worker to withdraw support.

While EFCA threatens the private ballot, the gentlemen highlight the Secret Ballot Protection Act, which would guarantee that right for employees. The Congressmen conclude:

If unions and employers are sincere in their missions of protecting and serving workers, the real question should be how all sides can work together to defend workers’ interests – and protect the rights of millions of Americans whose privacy and freedom are at stake. The Secret Ballot Protection Act is the first step in the right direction.

It’s not tough to see who wins this recent CNBC showdown between Reps. Phil Hare and John Kline. Perhaps that’s because it’s an easy call: don’t eliminate the right to a private ballot.

Check out the video here.