Why are companies afraid of union vote?

The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is designed to correct flaws and erosions in the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) by making it easier for employees to form unions, and make penalties stiffer for employers that impede this process.

The claim that the EFCA will eliminate the secret ballot is a bogeyman offered up by management to scare workers, and not backed by facts. The NRLA currently requires employees to sign a petition requesting an election to determine union representation. If 30% of workers sign up, the petition is submitted to the employer, who decides whether to hold a secret ballot. Even if a majority of the employees favor organizing a union, the employer is under no compulsion to recognize or bargain with it.

The EFCA states that if 50% of workers sign the petition, the union is automatically certified and the employer must bargain with it. However, a secret ballot election can still be held if 30% of employees sign a petition requesting one. This moves the decision from the employer to the employees and is opposed by most employers. Wages are about 90% of what they were in the early 1970s, when almost a fourth of workers belonged to a union. Today, about 12% are union members. The percentage of national income that went to wages and benefits has been dropping as fast as employer profits have been rising, with the decline of union membership playing a big role. Strong unions result in higher wages, better benefits, and safer work places for more than just its members.

If passed, the EFCA will help restore the balance between labor and management, expand the purchasing power of working Americans, create more demand for products and services, and help our economy recover and grow.

Bill Slankard

Arlington Heights