SMB HR Alert: Free Choice Act Means Higher Costs

With a nearly filibuster-proof Democratic majority in the Senate, the misleadingly named bill: Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) seems likely to pass early in the Obama administration.

Video: Former union organizers "spill the beans" on the employee free choice act and the intimidation tactics used by unions to "psychologically batter" employees into signing union cards.

Union Victory over Non-Union Employers
The EFCA might constitute the biggest victory for unions and employee organizing efforts in over half a century. The EFCA would amend the National Labor Relations Act to change the procedures by which unions are organized in the workplace. It would make how people vote, for or against the Union, public information!

"More Unions means higher labor costs for small and medium sized businesses."

According to the Heritage Foundation: "Employee Free Choice Act Would Disenfranchise 105 Million Workers"

For union organizing elections, the legislation would replace the secret ballot with a system of "card checks," where union organizers pressure workers to publicly sign a card stating they want to join a union. Workers would never have the option of voting against union membership, and millions of workers could be forced into a union without ever getting the chance to vote on the matter.

The net effect of these procedures would make it easier for unions to organize workers, establish themselves as exclusive bargaining representatives for workers and negotiate more favorable collective bargaining agreements.

Employer Penalties
The proposed EFCA also increases substantially the penalties for employers who discharge or discriminate against employees engaging in organizing efforts.

In Conclusion
The little-known and misnamed Employee Free Choice Act would disenfranchise 105 million American workers by replacing secret ballots for union organizing elections with the card check system. This process would expose workers to union pressure and intimidation, while denying them the option of voting "no" on union representation. The President and Members of Congress are elected by secret ballots. Congress should reject any effort to deny workers the right to vote.