AWF Endorses Secret Ballot Protection Act
Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), Chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, and Mike Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee joined U.S. Representative Tom Price (R-SC), Chairman of the Republican Study Committee and Buck McKeon (R-CA), Ranking Member of the House Education and Labor Committee and Representative John Kline (R-MN) introduced the Secret Ballot Protection Act.
Endorsed by the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), a Washington, D.C. based organization dedicated to combating anti-worker legislation and promoting fee and open markets, the Secret Ballot Protection Act will guarantee the right of all workers to a secret ballot election, conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, when voting on union membership.
AWF sent a letter to all Members of Congress endorsing this legislation and also distributed this press release.
The press release added:
“The right to a private ballot,” according to AWF Executive Director Brian Johnson “is as fundamental as private property ownership. The Democrats tried to take this away from the American people in 2007. Now, they are trying again. The only thing that has ‘changed’ in Washington is the amount of labor union contributions to the left has increased to $600 million this past election cycle. Without the Secret Ballot Protection Act, no worker is safe,” adds Johnson.
The full letter read:
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), an organization representing millions of rank-and-file working Americans and business owners, I am urging you to support the Secret Ballot Protection Act, introduced by Chairman Price and Congressmen Kline and McKeon.
If made law, the Secret Ballot Protection Act will amend the National Labor Relations Act to safeguard the right of all workers to a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. This law would serve the timely and much-needed function of preserving the self-determination of individual workers. It would protect them from the harmful effects of the “Employee Free Choice Act” (EFCA) a.k.a. “Card-Check,” by preventing recognition of unions formed by the “Card-Check” process.
At a time like this it is of utmost importance to remember the key reasons the “Employee Free Choice Act” needs to be neutralized. This legislation would create situations where employers, union organizers, and co-workers could watch, in broad daylight, whether individual workers vote for or against unionization.
This is because the EFCA would eliminate the right to a federally-supervised private election in deciding for or against unionization. Secret ballots would be replaced with open-air petitions in which employees check cards, hence “Card-Check,” and the labor force would be unionized with a simple majority of votes. In addition, the EFCA would mandate binding government arbitration in cases where unions refuse to continue with contract negotiations.
Records of union harassment claims foretell the impact of implementing the “Employee Free Choice Act.” Union intimidation of employees and their families including violence, bribery and distortion of truth would increase, in efforts to coerce workers into voting for unionization.
This is precisely why the “Secret Ballot Protection Act” is so important. By supporting this legislation, we can protect a foundational right of employees throughout the nation – the ability to decide on unionization by means of a federally-regulated private election.
AWF supports and endorses this critical piece of legislation that will protect workers rights and freedoms when deciding on union membership.
Sincerely,
Brian M. Johnson, MPA
Executive Director
