Why Unions Are Decertifying
James Sherk /
Sen. Arlen Specter, who opposed the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) when he was a Republican, recently announced that he has flip-flopped on the issue and will now be supporting EFCA-lite. As Specter described it, the latest version of the bill drops the card-check provision that has attracted so much controversy. This is a victory for workers who will not lose their right to a secret ballot. Unfortunately, the new EFCA replaces card-check with snap elections, which are intended to deprive employees of an informed choice.
Instead of a traditional campaign, which usually lasts five to six weeks, where workers hear from both employers and unions on the advantages and disadvantages of unionizing, EFCA-lite would require workers to vote on unionizing within days of the union filing its petition. So workers would hear the union case for months, while only getting a few days to hear the employer rebuttal. The point is to push workers into voting for the union before they have a chance to reconsider. (more…)