Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor® blog at Retaildoc.com

OK, I have to tell you at the outset I come from the working class of America. My mom was a card-carrying teachers’ union member for nearly fifty years; still is. My brother has been a card-carrying union member for probably thirty years. At the risk of angering them, I have to tell you I oppose the new legislation being considered in congress to allow unions to do away with secret ballots and simply “sign up.”

The Employee Free Choice Act (HR 1409, S560) is legislation currently pending in Congress that would require the certification of a union if at least 50% of the persons in the bargaining unit sign authorization cards supporting a union.

I’ve heard many retailers and retail workers don’t think this legislation affects them because their stores aren’t unionized. But this card check is a shortcut to forming unions where they haven’t existed before, and this bill is a top priority for organized labor as they try to boost sagging membership.

As I understand it, a person could come into a retail business, promise free education benefits, health care and other things from the union if they just “sign up.”  What employee wouldn’t sign up? If a majority did, the retailer large or small would be forced to demands by the union.

Yeah, we saw how well that worked in the long run for GM and Chrysler, now they want to do to Main Street what they did to Detroit.

Under current law, an employer can request a secret ballot election even if a majority signs authorization cards, commonly referred to as “card check.”   Other changes would be to require civil fines of up to $20,000 per violation against employers who knowingly discriminate against workers, and require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to seek a Federal court injunction against such employers.  Current law has no civil fines, and requires NLRB injunctions only against unions. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has come out strongly against this legislation. My understanding is that the Obama administration supports this which is a mistake for retailers.  For the first time in my life, I agree with FOX.

This is just bad legislation and needs to be voted down.  Read the facts and tell your congressperson before it’s too late.  Sorry mom.

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