You'll thank me for this in a few days...

[rucky]

http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/employee-free-choic...

"Here are the facts to refute the opposition's fiction about the Employee Free Choice Act:

Fiction: The "legislation would end the rights of employees to secret ballot elections."
– Center for Union Facts

FACT: The Employee Free Choice Act does not abolish elections or "secret ballots." Under the proposed legislation, workers get to choose the union formation process—elections or majority sign-up. Under current law, the choice to recognize a union rests only with employers.

What the Employee Free Choice Act does prevent is an employer manipulating the flawed system to influence the election outcome. When faced with organizing campaigns: 25 percent of employers illegally fire pro-union workers; 51 percent of employers illegally threaten to close down worksites if the union prevails; and, 34 percent of employers coerce workers into opposing the union with bribes and favoritism.

Fiction: "Legal recognition of a union has traditionally been achieved through secret ballot elections…just like how a person votes for a senator or congressman."
– Center for Union Facts

FACT: Current union elections involving "secret ballots" bear no resemblance to political elections. Workers' free speech rights are squelched, employers practice various forms of economic coercion, and labor law allows employers to indefinitely delay recognition through drawn-out appeals. Says >University of Oregon political scientist Gordon Lafer: "The presence of secret ballots can't overcome the corrupt nature of NLRB elections ."

Fiction: NLRB elections are "the only way to guarantee worker protection from coercion and intimidation."
– Coalition for a Democratic Workplace

FACT: Workers are more susceptible to coercion in NLRB elections than majority sign-up. Workers in NLRB elections are twice as likely (46 percent vs. 23 percent) as those in majority sign-up campaigns to report that management coerced them to oppose the union. Further, less than one in 20 workers (4.6 percent) who signed a card with a union organizer reported that the presence of the organizer made them feel pressured to sign the card.

Fiction: Majority sign-up is a "new approach" to forming unions.
– Center for Union Facts

FACT: Majority sign-up is a common way to form unions, and has been used since at least the 1950s. Even major corporations like AT&T allow their workers to join unions using majority sign-up. The Employee Free Choice Act is necessary today because employers have become increasingly bold in violating employees' rights and the law under the NLRB election process. When that process was developed, employers did not routinely engage in the massive legal and illegal violation of workers’ rights that is commonplace today."

BTW...Obama was one of 46 dem cosponsors of Kennedy's bill.

[NYC_SKP]

1. I'll just thank you now...

If that's OK.

K&R.

:patriot:

[rucky]

2. I'll accept that. Thanks.

The secret ballot thing came up in conversation a few weeks back with a co-worker (son of a prominent Republican politico), and it totally thew me for a loop. Then I saw McCain just mentioned it off the cuff in his latest speech, so I figured it'll be the latest lie to come from their asses to the masses.

[NYC_SKP]

4. I don't have to tell you that the efforts to eliminate unions has a long past.

And the days during which we could count on all elected Democrats to stand with us are long gone.

It's time unions make a comeback, we start buying domestic goods and take a pass on Chinese shit and look for the union label, etc, etc...

:patriot:

[rucky]

3. The bill is pretty much stuck in committee, btw...

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1041

"This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills go first to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills never make it out of committee. Keep in mind that sometimes the text of one bill is incorporated into another bill, and in those cases the original bill, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned. "

Hopefully we can pass this in January - without a Bush veto looming over it.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Why is Sen. McGovern pimping against this bill?

I think I see his ads all the time. Am I wrong that he's against it?
If he's against it, whose behind him on this?

[grantcart]

6. how exactly does majority sign up work? and thanks for the thread

[rucky]

8. First the Union & Employer sign a neutrality agreement.

Then they offer their employees to sign cards if they want to unionize. If a majority sign-up, the employer agrees to recognize the union.

I found this study on it...

http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/dmdocuments/ARAWReports/IBFactOverFictFinal.pdf

[Razoor]

7. Thanks for the info.

I'll also say thanks for the info. I can't wait for this bill to pass if it ever gets out of committee when Obama wins. cant wait to see the looks of corporations like walmart and others who oopose unions now have to live with unionized workers.

[Overseas]

9. Big corporations are fighting hard against union rights.

They use such snazzy material and good actors on sincere commercials against unions and the Employee Free Choice Act. Good to have refutations close at hand.

But I wish your subject title was clearer. "Refutation of fictions being pushed against Employee Free Choice Act"

[rucky]

10. this is GD-P

nobody would click that headline. Maybe a cross-post, though.

[Overseas]

12. Thanks for the explanation. I think union rights are part of every election.

Republicans want to continue crushing unions and Democrats want to empower them (usually).

But I can see where my suggested headline would be too dry.

Thanks for the post.

[chalky]

11. KR&B and waiting in the hopper for the republican shitstorm that will be hitting my inbox. n/t

[rucky]

13. kick