Labor Act Up For An Underhaul

Just a few weeks after last November's elections, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by George Miller, D-Calif., to amend significant portions of the National Labor Relations Act. The provision generating the most heat and light is one virtually eliminating employee secret-ballot elections in favor of automatic National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) certification of a union upon the presentation of a majority of signed authorization cards solicited by the union.

There are many reasons for the so-called decline in the labor movement (while union membership is up in terms of raw numbers, its percentage of the overall workforce has steadily dropped). Whatever the reasons for decline, they surely do not justify trading our long-term adherence to the sanctity, privacy and integrity of the secret-ballot election, in favor of instant results, often made possible by crowd-coerced signatures. 

This article appeared in the March 13, 2007 issue of the Fulton County Daily Report.