Secret ballot is vital when voting on union

At a recent meeting of the board of directors of the Mount Prospect Chamber, we chose to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), legislation that would curtail the rights of both employees and employers and would hamper economic recovery and growth.

EFCA would effectively eliminate the secret ballot election for union organizing and force workers to make the important decision about whether or not to unionize in front of union organizers. It would invite intimidation and coercion; lead to widespread disenfranchisement of workers who may oppose unionization by cutting them out of the process; and limit an employer's ability to counter false and misleading rhetoric. EFCA also radically alters collective bargaining by allowing unions to end good faith negotiations and force employers into binding interest arbitration to set all the terms and conditions of a union contract, not just wages and benefits, but work rules, management rights clauses, and how union dues are collected. Finally, EFCA imposes new penalties only on employer misconduct, not on union misconduct.

Given the growing economic recession, it is critical that businesses have the flexibility necessary to meet the needs of a challenging economy if we are to create an environment in which businesses can grow and create jobs. The act is inconsistent with this critical goal.

A union election should be conducted just as any fair and open election for any office. That means workers should be able to hear from both sides of the issue - management and the union - and there should be an absolute protected secret-ballot election out of the sight of both sides so that there is not a hint of coercion or intimidation.

In the end new job creation will swamp whatever distributional gains the EFCA promises for some select group of workers. Increased coercion never leads to increased productivity.

The Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce board of directors passed a resolution, with only one abstaining vote, opposing the elimination of the secret ballot election in union organizing.

Jim Uszler, A.C.E.

Executive Director

Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce