Preserving Freedom In The Workplace

Statement

As we struggle in this region to reclaim lost jobs and opportunities, we cannot forget the principles that drive success. Restricting individual rights has never helped us to move forward as a country. Our history has been marked by the triumph of freedom and individual rights—the American Revolution, the Abolition of Slavery, and the Women's Suffrage and Civil Rights movements.

When considering freedom, the key ingredient is choice—the fundamental right to make a choice free from oppression and coercion.

It is with a touch of irony that Congress now considers legislation entitled the "Employee Free Choice Act." The stated goal of this legislation is to provide an environment where workers can make a decision about joining a union in an environment free of coercion. In reality, this legislation does the opposite.

Current law provides for a federally-monitored secret ballot process. This proposal strips workers of that option by forcing employers to accept a card check union recognition process where a union is recognized when a majority of employees sign a card—a process rife with intimidation, coercion, and abuse.

A local Dana Corporation employee, Larry Getts of Albion, had the courage to testify before a U.S. Senate committee that was examining this legislation. He talked about his experience during a local organizing effort using the "card check" process. Getts said, "Union organizers waited for us in the break room, sat with us at lunch whether we wanted them to or not, and walked us to our cars at the end of the day. The entire time they were constantly badgering us to sign the cards."

Larry Getts wants to preserve his right to make a choice, in private, about what he thinks is best for himself and his coworkers. Unfortunately, in Larry's case, deception trumped the rules, and he was manipulated into signing a card that led to the recognition of the union. After an appeal to the National Labor Relations Board, however, a private vote determined that there was not sufficient support for starting a union at his shop. This appeal would be disallowed under the so-called "Employee Free Choice Act."

After hearing Getts' testimony, Senator Johnny Isakson pointed out, "The secret ballot is the ultimate protection for the worker just like it protects the minority politically in the United States of America because we get to vote in secret."

There is a principle at work here. A free vote is critical to a free society. It is a concept that finds support from voices as divergent as former Senator and Democrat presidential nominee George McGovern to businessman Warren Buffet.

Getts told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that he's not against unions; rather he is against the idea that people might not have a chance to make a free decision for themselves about their representation. Congressman Souder serves on the House Education and Labor Committee, which will be the primary committee addressing this issue in the House. In this role, and as our representative, Mark Souder will continue to fight for every worker to have a voice.

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