Posted on 03/05/2007 5:35:31 PM PST by Howlin
RALEIGH — The U.S. House on Thursday passed a bill that would simplify the process in which workers could indicate their desire to unionize, but opponents of the measure say the changes would leave other employees vulnerable to pro-union intimidation tactics.
The legislation, the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007, would enable unions to collect worker signatures on cards — called a "card-check" — to determine whether a majority in the workplace want to unionize. The change would replace the current secret ballot system, which maintains the anonymity of employees.
Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor, Republican chief deputy whip, led the opposition against the bill. He coined a nickname for the bill, calling it "The American Worker Compulsion Act."
"This bill is bad for America and Americans don't want it," he said in a statement. "Nine in ten Americans agree that workers should have the right to vote privately when deciding to organize a union."
The House passed the bill by a 241-185 vote, with most Democrats (except for two) supporting it and all but 13 Republicans opposing it.
Votes on the bill by the N.C. delegation were divided along party lines. Democrats supporting the bill were 1st District Rep. G.K. Butterfield; 2nd District Rep. Bob Etheridge; 4th District Rep. David Price; 7th District Rep. Mike McIntyre; 11th District Rep. Heath Shuler; 12th District Rep. Mel Watt; and 13th District Rep. Brad Miller. All of the state's Democratic House members, except for McIntyre, also were listed as co-sponsors of the bill.
"It is ironic that Democrats who campaigned last November on promises to protect America's privacy rights are now supporting a bill that will strip workers of the right of secret ballot voting," Cantor said. "This is clearly a Democrat payoff to unions instead of good policy for America."
But organized labor says without a card-check, employees are subject to threats by businesses that don't want to negotiate with unions.
"The current system for forming unions and bargaining is broken," says a statement on the Web site of the AFL-CIO in support of the legislation. "Every day, corporations deny workers the freedom to decide for themselves whether to form unions to bargain for a better life. They routinely intimidate, harass, coerce and even fire workers who try to form unions and bargain for economic well-being."
According to a report in the Washington Times on Friday, the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate and the Bush administration has said it will veto the bill if it gets that far.
"We will not allow the progress already made on behalf of U.S. workers to be undone, nor will we allow coercion by employers or unions," Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said to the Times.
The North Carolina Republicans who opposed the bill were 3rd District Rep. Walter Jones; 5th District Rep. Virginia Foxx; 6th District Rep. Howard Coble; 8th District Rep. Robin Hayes; 9th District Rep. Sue Myrick; and 10th District Rep. Patrick McHenry.
http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/lgwww_bill.pl?200800
Link to bill:
http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/lgwww_bill.pl?200800
Link to a GREAT video:
http://cantor.house.gov/022807.htm
Heath FAILS his first big test; he's a NANCY BOY!
But I thought these Blue Dogs where conservative...
My butt!
I bet his district is happy tonight.
It's all moot. This bill will die in the Senate (how ironic that the Senate now is conservative's best hope) and even then will face Bush's 2nd veto.
Funny the Blue Dog supporters has been awfully quiet here lately...
Doesn't matter to me; but this was where Schuler had promised to do the right thing, even though he's a Democrat.
He lied.
Don't EVER trust a Democrat.
Busy getting ready to turn the country over to them, no doubt.
Probaly true....
They want to know who voted no, so the thugs can "educate" them?
More than likely.
Shuler is already running commercials on the local Rush AM station equating this bill to opposition to "free trade" by labor.
Money talks, Shuler listened.
Are you serious?
What a load of BS.
The history of labor-management relations offers many examples of strongarm tactics employed by both sides.
Completely serious, the afternoon host is owned by the Democrats, so he never comments.
Sign onto our petition against the Employee Free Choice Act...
http://www.freeworkplace.org
This is pure BS! If corporations routinely "intimidate, harass, coerce and even fire workers who try to form unions and bargain for economic well-being" when the vote is anonymous, then the idea that open balloting (card checking) would be more desireable by completely exposing one's self to a simpler exercise in "retaliation" is pure poppycock. As we all know this is an attempt by the Dems and the Unions to create an environment where the UNIONS would intimidate, harass, coerce (no quotation marks because the Unions are well documented as using such tactics) employees into joining unions or else.
Yup. I've been saying all along these freshmen Democrats were sheep in wolf's clothing.
Thank you Heath for proving me right.
Guy couldn't quarterback either.
You were absolutely right.
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