Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Resolution Supporting Greater Freedom for Labor Passes
26 Council Members voted tonight to support the memorializing resolution (someone requested a roll call vote, which is rare for virtually powerless memorializing resolutions) encouraging Tennessee's U.S. Senate delegation to vote for the Employee Free Choice Act. Only two of the at-Large Members voted favorably: Megan Barry and Jerry Maynard. Charlie Tygard, of course, voted against it. Tim Garrett and Ronnie Stein took the safe route and abstained (is it a more progressive group than the last one or not?). I'll try to post the entire vote tally tomorrow. I think it is remarkable that a pro-labor statement was supported by 65% of the Metro Council.
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The council is dead wrong on this issue of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act.
ReplyDeleteHere are the facts.
The National Labor Relations Board allows employees to use a secret, confidential ballot to determine whether they want union representation. This is to ensure the election is free of employer and union coercion.
However, the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act is a process subject to intimidation and abuse. In a “card check” campaign union officials start by gathering authorization cards signed by workers expressing their desire for the union to represent them. But these “card checks” require employees to cast their votes in front of union organizers and fellow employees who support unionization. This provides a less accurate reflection of what employees actually want than does a secret ballot election.
There is no argument that all workers, in every industry, deserve the fundamental American right to a federally supervised private-ballot election.
Perhaps council members should reflect on how they were elected to office by the private ballot process and support every worker’s right to enjoy the same privilege in workplace elections.