Proposed Card-Check Law Denies Workers' Rights

While it's been said that the Employee Free Choice Act will "restore workers' freedom," nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, EFCA eliminates employees' rights to cast a private ballot regarding union representation, which undercuts the principles at the heart of a democratic society. For this reason alone, there is no doubt that, if enacted, EFCA will constitute one of the most significant changes to the National Labor Relations Act in more than 60 years.

Made up of three main provisions, EFCA's first will essentially eliminate secret ballot elections for union representation. A less well-known but equally harmful feature of the EFCA is interest arbitration. Once the union is certified, the parties have a total of 120 days to negotiate a contract. If they cannot agree on a contract, an arbitrator will write the provisions to which the parties could not agree. Interest arbitration represents a major change in the law.

It's astonishing to me that there are still many individuals and businesses across the country that are still not aware of this law. The battle against EFCA is only beginning, and concerned employers should keep a vigilant watch on what may become one of the most catastrophically conceived labor laws of all time. Workers and business owners wake up.

This article appeared in the September 15, 2008 issue of The Miami Herald,  and was picked up by theBradenton Herald the same day.