Unions Change Their Tune

In the early 20th century, unions demanded that all union votes reflect the situation in US elections and be by secret ballot. They pictured the company hierarchy as vengeful thugs who would retaliate against employees who voted for union shops, if they knew how the workers voted.

So union membership rose for awhile and then fell to the current number of somewhere around 12% of the work force, including the government employees who are unionized.

In the early 21st century, union leaders now demand that the secret ballot be eliminated and votes become public. Does that mean they have become the vengeful thugs who would retaliate against employees who vote against them?

To sweeten the publicity, the proposed legislation has been misnamed Employee Free Choice Act. It’s more popularly called Card Check which doesn’t reveal much about its contents either. However, it will force workers to vote, or sign the card, in front of one or more union leaders and few will be willing to cross them for fear of personal retaliation. It's anything but "free choice."

Lacking news of wide spread abuse of employees, there hardly seems to be a need for more unions. Numerous laws and regulations protect workers’ rights. Now we have trial lawyers who are eager to win money for plaintiffs in any semi-plausible case. If there were a need for more union representation, they would be expanding across the land without assistive legislation.

Passing the card check law, which is reputedly going up for vote next week, will raise prices on many goods made and/or sold in the US so the union officials can get their cut. Citigroup has lowered its recommendation for Walmart stock from buy to hold. Others lament it will stifle hiring by small businesses which usually provides more jobs than the larger companies. It certainly will do nothing to help the current economic problems.