Sunday, March 15, 2009

EFCA Protects Workers And Businesses

At a recent gathering to promote the Employee Free Choice Act, several people had a chance to say their piece. Here are a few:

Jim Maples, owner of Vinton Construction, speaks of how unions have actually helped his business:



Rose Daitsman, who remembers the first Great Depression, tells how unions had helped people through those rough times:



Professor Cheryl Moranto, of the Marquette University School of Management, explains that the fear of losing the secret ballot is that much rubbish used by the right for their usual fear and smear tactics:



There are many more videos of other business owners and community leaders explaining the benefits that could be had with the EFCA at the AFL-CIO's EFCA site.

15 comments:

  1. Concerning her first point, Professor Cheryl Moranto is pretty much lying through her teeth if she things that the EFCA won't eliminate the secret ballot election process. During a union formation process, unions will not prefer to use a secret ballot process over the card check system for the simple fact that they lose more often with secret ballot. It's like preferring to kick a field goal from 50 yards out when you've been given the choice to kick it from 20 yards out. During a close game, under what circumstances would a team prefer the 50 yard field goal when the 20 yarder is easier to make?

    It's a false choice because we already have secret ballot elections for union formation, and unions are fighting hard to bypass them for the card check. If they know that they have a better shot with card check, then why in our right minds would we think there is a real option available to employees between both systems? It's literally a smoke screen to appear like employees have a choice when they do not. In fact, if "the employee free choice act restores democracy to the process" like the video says, then why don't they use card check for congressional and presidential elections? Wouldn't we also be restoring democracy to those processes as well?

    And second, the statistics from a report Professor Cheryl Moranto sited does not justify eliminating the secret ballot. Eliminating the secret ballot is throwing the baby out with the bath water. If you have a problem with employers not honoring a contract, then take them to court or find a way to reform the system without taking a swipe at a cherished election process.

    The problem is that unions have fallen out of favor with most places of employment. This is represented by major decline from 40% to about 12% in the past 3 decades. And trust me, employers were far worse to their employees 3 decades ago than they are now.

    The AFL-CIO knows that the rubber meets the road with this bill. Without it, they will die out - at least that's what the trending suggests.

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  2. The laws that would allow employees to take their grievances to court have been severely weakened over the last 30 years. The laws have no teeth left, and employers are free to intimidate, threaten, coerce and lie to their employees without any recourse.

    And jsut because the unions have fallen out of favor with the places of employment, that does not mean that it has fallen out of favor with the employees.

    My wife is stuck in a non-union shop right now, and is desperate to get out. She has no sick time, very little vacation, gets no respect and is afraid to even make a suggestion. She has seen other people get fired for doing just that, trying to improve the efficiency of the company.

    I'm afraid that it will end up being this or going back to the days of the Bay View Massacre.

    And considering that Milwaukee County has already taken away the secret ballot with the latest pension board vote, that argument doesn't have much meaning anymore.

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  3. "My wife is stuck in a non-union shop right now,,,"

    She's not stuck. There is no slavery here. She's free to walk away at any time.

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  4. Capper,

    I am more convinced than ever that your position is not just flawed, but wrong based upon the absolute weakness of your argument and your inability to address my criticisms.

    Like Rich said, your wife is not stuck at her job. She can vote her conscience by applying for another job. This is an opportunity available to most people that people with a union mentality conveniently forget to mention.

    You have not, nor cannot properly address the lack of justification that unions have for bypassing the secret ballot process. Like I've said before numerous times, if the secret ballot is good enough for congress and the presidency, then it's good enough for the workplace.

    Your videos were somewhat laughable because they try to pretend that the EFCA actually restores democracy to the workplace by eliminating the secret ballot. What??? Are they serious? Do you support this assertion? How is eliminating the privacy of a vote restoring democracy?

    I expect an answer to this question. I'll wait.

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  5. I'm still waiting for an answer to why eliminating voter privacy is somehow an effort to restore democracy.

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  6. No Rich, she has been looking. But between her limitations and the sucky job market, there isn't much out there.

    But her shop, like Wally World and a lot of other business, are just a modernized version of indentured slavery.

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  7. Anon,

    I have several responsibilities in life, all of which is more important than jumping to when an argumentative, rude anonymous commenter wants something. I gave you your answers. If you don't like them, that is not my issue.

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  8. Capper,

    Could you please answer my question? How is eliminating the privacy of a vote restoring democracy?

    It's an important question that deserves an answer. If you are going to post videos that support the EFCA, then please take the responsibility to answer for them.

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  9. To be perfectly honest, I don't think anyone is happy that it has come to his point. But as I've mentioned before, and as is illustrated in some of the videos in this post, it has gotten to the point that people that do want unions are being denied a fair shot. There are already elections being manipulated by management through coercion and other tactics, like firing the leaders of the union-organizing efforts and then taking a second vote, after it had already passed.

    And having open elections does have a precedent. I am hoping to write about a local example in the next day or two, but on a national level, look at the primary caucuses, in which people actually have to stand up and move to have their vote counted.

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  10. So how is eliminating the privacy of a vote restoring democracy? The video with the Marquette professor stated this, and I was hoping you could elaborate on the issue since you are promoting the video on your site.

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  11. I've explained it. The video explains it. It's not hard to understand.

    It takes away the coercion and the illegal blockades that some employers would put in place to even allowing an election to be held.

    If you do not or will not understand something this basic, I cannot help you. I am sorry.

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  12. Wow, you can't see it can you? How does removing one's privacy in the voting booth stop coercion? In fact, how doesn't it not contribute to more coercion?

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  13. It will lead to more coercion just like people are now coerced for having a McCain bumper sticker, a rainbow sticker, driving a Honda, or an equals sign on their car.

    Coercion is even more reason for a secret ballot.

    Cap, Thanks for making our point for us.

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  14. Mmmm. So you think that putting all the cards on the table is coercion. That sounds more than a bit like a red herring.

    Perhaps you're all just afraid of not being able to control the world anymore, and having everybody do well.

    Sounds like some self-esteem work might be necessary for both of you.

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  15. :( Ouchy.

    Red herring?

    So how many teamsters does it take to change a light bulb? 20. You gotta problem wit dat?

    Why is that joke so funny? Because the coercion has truth to it. That truth, however small you say it is; is no red herring.

    Darn truth always getting in the way.....

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