06/15/2007
As the Senate prepares to take up legislation eliminating the private ballot, union organizers are planning to storm Washington and hold rallies across the country to pressure and persuade the Senate (much the way they would employees under this legislation) to pass this undemocratic card-check bill.
On Tuesday, June 19--the same day the Senate begins consideration of the so-called "Employee Free Choice Act"--more than 4,000 union members and supporters will gather on Capitol Hill to support this legislation that will have a devastating affect on small business.
S. 1041, which has the support of 46 cosponsors, would eliminate the use of a private-ballot system and allow unions to organize with publicly conducted card checks. If the bill passes, your right to a federally supervised private vote to unionize will be taken away, and your employees with be open to union harassment and intimidation tactics, with their votes made public to other employees and union organizers.
"Eliminating the secret-ballot process opens up small-business employees to union intimidation and excludes small-business owners from the decisions affecting their business and employees," said Dan Danner, executive vice president of NFIB. "Small businesses will be one of the most targeted–and harmed–groups in this last-ditch effort by unions to reverse the trends of their decreasing membership."
The legislation would also mandate compulsory, binding arbitration, meaning that a small-business owner would be forced to recognize the first contract presented by a union within 120 days of the card-check recognition. If an agreement is not reached, a government representative would step in and make all decisions related to pay and benefits for the business--silencing the voice of small-business owners in their own business.
NFIB believes in the freedom to vote--and the freedom to vote privately. We will continue to fight for small business and your right to private-ballot elections and will continue to meet with members of the Senate to prevent card-check legislation from passing.
What you can do
Help protect your voice--and your employees' rights--and sign NFIB's petition against card-check legislation. You can also contact your senators and tell them to vote "no" on S. 1041.
