The latest on the "Employee Free Choice Act"

If you oppose the pro-union “Employee Free Choice Act” – and you should – there’s good news from the Senate: The WSJ reports that some Senate Democrats are “wavering” in their support for a bill that would, among other things, eliminate secret ballots and give even more power to the labor unions:

At least six Senators who have voted to move forward with the so-called card-check proposal, including one Republican, now say they are opposed or not sure — an indication that Senate Democratic leaders are short of the 60 votes they need for approval.

The legislation is divisive and distracting, said Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln in an interview Monday. The Democratic lawmaker, who was previously seen as a supporter, said the Senate should focus on creating jobs and improving the U.S. economy. “I have 90,000 Arkansans who need a job, that’s my No. 1 priority,” she said. The legislation, she said, would be “divisive and we don’t need that right now. We need to focus on the things that are more important.”

Sen. Lincoln is one of several moderate Democrats expressing doubts about the Employee Free Choice Act. The bill would allow unions to organize workers without a secret ballot, giving employees the power to organize by simply signing cards agreeing to join. A second provision would give federal arbitrators power to impose contract terms on companies that fail to reach negotiated agreements with unions. Both provisions are strongly opposed by business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.

Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu and Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor are among the Democratic lawmakers who have backed off their previous support.

The article goes on to note that the “EFCA” will sail through the House (as most bills do), so the Senate is where the opposition will have the opportunity to stop the madness. Please contact your Senator – no matter whether they are a Republican or Democrat – and let them know how you feel about this legislation.

The bill was/is supposed to be introduced in both the House and Senate today.

Common Sense Political Thought » Blog Archive » Tuesday evening linkage: Massive writer’s bloc edition says:

March 10, 2009 at 6:12 pm

[…] Sister Toldjah reports on the monstrously misnamed Employee Free Choice Act. I wonder what the Democrats find so unAmerican about a secret ballot? […]

Neo says:

March 11, 2009 at 12:47 am

As an example of the “Law of Unintended Consedquences,” I was thinking that there must be a golden opportunity to organize a “Campaign Workers Union” using “card check”.

With features like “forced arbitration” settlements, I’m sure that each and every Congress-critter will be happy to have all their campaign workers join the union and have their purse string controlled by an outside arbitrator.

Another opportunity might be a “Social Providers Union” based on the Michael Keaton movie “Night Shift“.

Carlos says:

March 11, 2009 at 9:19 pm

Neo, if you did that you’d just have that many more people dependent upon political hacks, almost like a pseudo-arm of federal bureaucracy. That doesn’t work for me, neither does “card-check” with its forfeiture of voting privacy, and the longer we can keep Congress from instituting this political abortion the more people will realize it’s a grab at one of their most basic freedoms.

Unless one is well up in the union hierarchy or a flat-out fool, voting for anyone next year who even considered supporting “card-check” would be voting against what made this country great to begin with, and that is individual freedom.