Not-So-Secret Nonsense

Ernest Istook / March 12, 2009

Democracy itself is under attack from union bosses. Teamsters President Jim Hoffa issued a press release Wednesday saying, “Since when is the secret ballot a basic tenet of democracy?”

He’s trying to excuse the inexcusable. Hoffa and other union bosses want to strip away workers’ right to a secret ballot election when deciding whether their workplace will join a union. The “card check” bill in Congress would let unions bypass the election process.

Hoffa’s comment echoes the head of Utah’s AFL-CIO, who recently called a secret ballot guarantee, “unnecessary and antidemocratic.”

Since union leaders care so little about the rights of prospective members, how far will they go next to undercut the rights of everyone else? (more…)