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WSJ: Employee Free Choice Does NOT Eliminate Secret Ballots |
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A striking concession today from the hard-right, corporate-friendly editorial board of the Wall Street Journal: In the midst of an angry editorial against the Employee Free Choice Act, the authors undermine years of messaging by anti-worker corporate groups by acknowledging:
The bill doesn’t remove the secret ballot option from the National Labor Relations Act….
However, the Journal writes erroneously that the bill makes secret ballots a “dead letter.” But as we’ve pointed out many times, the Employee Free Choice Act puts the choice of majority sign-up or a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election in the hands of the workers who want to form a union, rather than leaving workers at the mercy of management in that decision.
This acknowledgment is a big turnaround from the Journal’s frequent practice—detailed here by Think Progress—of making the “eliminate secret ballots” claim.
So there you have it: the Wall Street Journal editorial board says that the Employee Free Choice Act won’t eliminate secret ballots. Those who continue to try and contend that it does are trying to mislead the public and contradicting what the bill’s opponents know is true.
Not that secret ballots are sacrosanct for opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act when it serves their own interests. In fact, the Republican Party bylaws forbid secret ballot votes on most matters before the party’s national committee, notes Greg Sargent of The Plum Line blog.
The Journal’s ed board demonstrates that opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act are not against it because of their deep sense of respect for workers’ rights or for fairness. They oppose it because it would level the playing field and end corporate dominance over the process by which workers form unions. It would give workers the bargaining power they need to get a fair share of the value they create and would take the decision about how to form unions out of bosses’ hands and give it to workers.
Despite the Journal editorial board’s opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, apparently the staff decided it can’t keep up the act anymore. Today we herald the beginning of the end for the myth of “eliminating the secret ballot.”
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Employee Free Choice Act : Wall Street Journal Today Admits EFCA Does NOT Remove “Secret Ballot”
Labor officials are very excited about a Wall Street Journal editorial published Friday morning that, while highly unfavorable to the Employee Free Choice Act, concedes an important point of debate.
In a piece titled “Unionize or Die,” the conservative, business-friendly scribes of the Journal admit that the legislation will not eliminate the secret ballot but rather allow workers to choose between that or a majority-sign up election to unionize.
“The bill doesn’t remove the secret-ballot option from the National Labor Relations Act,” reads the editorial, “but in practice makes it a dead letter.”
To this point, millions of dollars in campaign and advertising cash have been spent declaring that EFCA would in fact take away a worker’s right to a secret ballot. Most memorable were the spots of mobbed-up-looking union bosses peering over a worker’s shoulder as he voted. In granting that these arguments are misleading, the Journal has rescinded an important tool in the debate.
Read The WALL STREET Journal Article Press Below
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123751316400391295.html
Huntington Post Article Labor Wins Big Concession From Wall Street Journal Press Below
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/20/labor-wins-big-concession_n_177340.html
http://www.TheTruthAboutEFCA.Org
Corporate Front Groups such as The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace which is made up of more than 500 associations and organizations from every state across the nation that have joined together have embarked on a multi-million dollar public Union Busting, Fear and Intimidation campaign against workers rights and the Employee Free Choice Act in key states that included polling, television, radio, internet ads and direct mail HAVE NOW BEEN CAUGHT IN A LIE!
For More Information on The Employee Free Choice Act Visit our Blog: http://efcanow.blogspot.com/
Tags: Employee Free Choice Act, EFCA, Employee Free Choice, Free Choice Act, Employee Free Choice News, Employee Free Choice Information, Coalition for a Democratic Workplace
Posted by Employee Free Choice Act Now . Org at 12:20 PM
Labels: Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, EFCA, Employee Free Choice, Employee Free Choice Act, Employee Free Choice Information, Employee Free Choice News, Free Choice Act
You’ve got to be kidding. When you stoop to misrepresentation of facts and accurate publication citations, you know you’re losing the ability to win on your arguments merits.
More information: http://www.shopfloor.org/2009/03/20/card-check-persuasion-through-misrepresentation/
It’s irresponsible to be promoting legislation that’s a proven jobs killer when America’s workers are already facing many other challenges.
Re: Manufacturer–Yeah, well, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the National Association of Manufacturers. Sounds like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce line, as well.
The Wall Street Journal supports the right to work!
For LESS!
Disgusting hypocrites.