Unions see good shot at winning change in federal labor law

[Bozita]

Source: Chicago Tribune

Unions see good shot at winning change in federal labor law
BY MIKE HUGHLETT • CHICAGO TRIBUNE • JANUARY 11, 2009

As Congress convened last week, organized labor was looking at perhaps its best shot in ages at successfully pushing for sweeping changes in federal labor law.

Unions have long sought to change rules governing union elections, claiming they are stacked in favor of management. They want the entire election process scrapped, with a “card check” substituted for a secret ballot.

Under card check, if just over 50% of workers in a workplace sign statements approving a union, the union would be in. Unions say such a measure would “level the playing field” with management and help reverse years of decline; business says it would lead to workers being coerced into unions.

A bill calling for card check passed the House in 2007 but died in the Senate and had almost no chance of becoming law with George W. Bush in the White House. Times may have changed with the election of Barack Obama and a tide of Democratic victories in Congress.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20090111/NEWS15/90111016

[Captain Hilts]

1. To start with, fill all the empty appointments in FLRB enforcement. nt

[GrantDem]

2. Again with the mis-information...

The press either doesn't get it or is willfully catapulting the corporate propaganda. The EFCA does not "scrap" the election process. It takes the power to choose away from corporations and gives it back to the workers. It does three things to level the playing field for employees and employers:

1. Strengthens penalties against companies that illegally coerce or intimidate employees
in an effort to prevent them from forming a union;

2. Brings in a neutral third party to settle a contract when a company and a newly
certified union cannot agree on a contract after three months;

3. Lets employees decide how to express their choice to organize, either by balloting or by
majority sign-up, meaning that if a majority of the employees sign union-authorization cards,
validated by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a company must recognize the union.

[madrchsod]

3. number 3 is the one that scares the shit out of them

majority sign up is something they will have a hard time controlling through spies and threats/intimantion...

[LiberalFighter]

5. It is also more democratic because it doesn't prevent anyone from not voting.

Everyone gets a chance to vote under this procedure while the current procedure prevents those that are on vacation or out of town for other reasons from voting.

It takes the pressure off of employees placed by their employers who use various tactics to coerce them to vote no. Such as mandatory meetings to watch anti-union propaganda. By not having a set date for an "election" the company can't organize as effectively to prevent it.

But a negative for the employee side is that the union organizing the workplace will not have any list to use to identify the eligible employees. It will have to be totally with the help of in plant organizers assisting in this process.

[Liberal Veteran]

4. Assuming of course that Harry Reid doesn't fold like cheap suit on filibuster threat.

Being the spineless wimp he is.

[IndianaGreen]

10. Reid will fold!

He will be gone by 2012 when he runs for reelection. Progressives should refrain from helping him unless he steps down as Majority Leader first.

[w4rma]

6. This bill will pass easily, no matter what the greedmongerers want.

Bills that help regular Americans, like this one, are going to be needed to get the economy back on track.

[Odin2005]

7. Good.

If you are against unions you are supporting the economic traitors that are raping this country.

[pattmarty]

8. Most of Europe has some kind of union or "trade union"..............

.................ALSO, most of Europe has some kind of "universal healthcare". In addition to those 2 major things I just mentioned, MOST of Europe has regulations/laws that protect the majority of citizens instead of just the fucking opposite. We do have censorship in this country (and most of DU people know exactly what I mean) otherwise we would have majority union workers AND national single payer healthcare (at the VERY least).

[CTyankee]

9. Let a thousand flowers bloom! I want unions to once more be the driving engine of

prosperity, lifting workers out of poverty and into the middle class. We are a proud union household (AFSME)!

[lonestarnot]

11. K & RRRRRRRR

Eat shit and die Chamber of Commerce Randy Johnson.

[tclambert]

12. Unions need to get their butts in gear again.

They've been losing the PR war, and badly. The top three priorities for the AFL-CIO should be:

1) Unionize Wal-Mart
2) Unionize Wal-Mart
and
3) Unionize Wal-Mart

If any employees needed help, it is those poor souls.

[toopers]

13. Getting rid of a secret ballot is not moving the cause forward . . .

EOM