“We will pass the Employee Free Choice Act.” President Obama recently made this statement to AFL-CIO leaders in a videotaped address, according to the March 4 edition of the Wall Street Journal.
Scary stuff for employers and crippling to our nation’s economy! The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would mean the most aggressive, sweeping changes to the U.S. labor rules since the National Labor Relations Act was passed more than 70 years ago.
Many observers predicted that the current economic crisis would force Congress to delay action on this bill, but that’s starting to look like wishful thinking. Union officials have released statements from Nobel-winning economists and other experts supporting EFCA; however, there is near certainty that these individuals stand to benefit from such a position politically, and they’re ready to spend millions of dollars and volunteer hours this spring pressuring Congress to pass the legislation. And, of course, President Obama is clearly behind the bill.
Why should you worry? For employers small to large, EFCA is very bad news and will, in all likelihood, destroy the capitalism that has made this country so great:
- It paves the way for union organizers to expand quickly into new workplaces by collecting signed cards without the business owner’s knowledge…instead of holding a formal secret-ballot election.
- If 50 percent or more of your workers sign those cards, BANG YOU’RE UNIONIZED. No more campaigns, no more voting, signatures alone will be enough to get the job done. In case you missed the first point…this means you can be completely unaware of the union coercion tactics taking place on your valued employees until you get notice that your unionized.
- EFCA also gives federal arbitrators the brand-new authority to impose labor contracts in your workplace if you fail to reach agreement with union locals within 120 days of the union’s formation. This means that no matter how unreasonable union demands may be, your businesses future will be left in the hands of the same current federal arbitrators who get campaign contributions from union lobbyists.
Attention entrepreneurs, small and medium sized businesses…it’s time you start having a practical discussion about the EFCA and the dangers it poses for your workplace. If you want to learn what you can, and cannot do, to protect your organization, then it’s imperative you get over your slobbering love affair with the man Barack Obama. Take a deep breath and logically evaluate the long term consequences of the President’s irrational policies and agenda for small business.
You must be proactive and learn:
- How EFCA promises to eliminate traditional union organizing campaigns and secret-ballot elections if it becomes law
- Why President Obama’s recent pledges to union leaders and other Capitol Hill developments have greatly increased the bill’s chances of passage this year
- The current legal do’s and don’ts of resisting union organizing drives – and how this new legislation would change those rules
- Your options under EFCA if union organizers succeed in gathering signatures from at least half of your workers, including whether you’d still be able to force a secret ballot after the signatures are collected
- Other troubling provisions within EFCA that threaten employers – for example, the use of federal arbitration boards to dictate terms if you can’t agree on a contract with the leaders of your new union
- The steps you can lawfully take right now to teach your workers about the dangers of unions, without violating NLRB rules in the process
So where’s the free choice in the Employee Free Choice Act? Hint – there is none, except for the words in the title that cleverly mislead and manipulate the overwhelmingly uninformed American population. For those of you still affected by Obama Derangement Syndrome let me explain it to you like an 8 year old.
Imagine standing there in the lunch line at school, your hands trembling as you anticipate the kids, who’ve bullied you all week, to return again. When, all of a sudden you realize their looking over your shoulder, cracking their knuckles, beating their hands with fists and threatening that if you don’t give up your lunch money a certain beating will follow. Realistically, 9 out of 10 of you would hand over every cent out of fear, no matter how hungry and affected you may be.
Now, imagine that scenario to both lesser and greater degrees in every workplace across America where union leaders have historically been thwarted by free choice. Before you realize it, every business that’s managed to survive this administrations policies will be paying $70 per hour for employees to tighten nuts on bolts under the hood of a production line automobile (in case you are wondering, that’s why you just bought “Learning the Cantonese Language” by Rosetta Stone…because obviously there will be no surviving employers left to provide jobs here in the United States.) You get my point!
Act now, contact a local labor lawyer or an attorney at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) so that you may prepare in advance for this legislation and safeguard your workforce against unfair union organizing tactics. You must prepare right now to keep your workplace union-free and conducive in making this country once again the most admired country in the world for its free market solutions and democratic success.
