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Card check, RIP
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The GOP takeover of the House -- not to mention the national repudiation of the Obama agenda undergirding Tuesday's election results -- means that "card check" is dead for now in Congress.
It had been the top priority on Big Labor's wish list: Make it easier to organize employees by essentially getting rid of secret ballot union elections, thus giving labor bosses a vast new pool of workers from which they could generate forced dues that could be siphoned off to Democrats who support big, activist government.
Republicans -- with the help of some moderate Democrats -- successfully blocked card check for two years and now have the upper hand with a majority in the lower chamber.
And while beltway GOP interests were battling this proposal in Washington as unfair and un-American, grass-roots activists set forth at the state level to protect the secret ballot election.
The results on Tuesday speak volumes about voter disdain for Big Labor's effort to rig the organization process.
In Arizona, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah, voters were asked to pass initiatives guaranteeing the right to a secret ballot in union elections. The closest result? Utah, where it passed 60-40. It was 86-14 in South Carolina and 79-21 in South Dakota. Arizonans approved the measure 61-39.
True, none of these four states is awash in blue. But polls across the nation show card check to be woefully unpopular. Democrats who continue to push this loser do so at their own peril.
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Nuke: I just asked an honest question; is the answer above your paygrade?
The "secret" ballot as you all refer to it for unionization is nothing more than an opportunity for companies to harass and intimidate workers from joining a union. In my own personal case anyone who had even brought up a union were laid off or furloughed.
Say, justin, who were the light-weight's biggest contributors? Who kicked in the most for his inauguration? Who did BP contribute the most to? Unions?
I feel that the current secret ballot only allows employers to intimidate and fire employees who want to organize a union. I think that is a far more eggregious violation than any other. I was in a shop that wanted a union and anyone who even mentioned it was fired. Is that appropriate?
Justin.in.NLV wrote on November 05, 2010 05:56 AM: I will play your little game... If Democrats were only pushing card check to "siphon off" forced dues, then that would explain why the Republicans are so hot and heavy on deregulating Wall Street, relaxing restrictions on big oil... so they can "siphon off" huge kickbacks... sorry, I meant campaign contributions.
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Sorry to burst the bubble on you false liberal rant but Wall street and Big oil gave more to Obama and democrats than republicans.
Call it what it is, Democrats wanted to legislate election fruad into law to help them win elections, Shameful
It had been the top priority on Big Labor's wish list: Make it easier to organize employees by essentially getting rid of secret ballot union elections, thus giving labor bosses a vast new pool of workers from which they could generate forced dues that could be siphoned off to Democrats who support big, activist government.
@Aformerrepublican:
I'm glad to see you have recovered from that coma you've been in for what, about the last 35 years? Unions and most businesses in general have an antagonistic relationship in this country (not all, but most). Neither party is blameless for this.
I don't know...ask Pontiac.
Why is it that corporations dislike unions?
Sorry, Harry is unable to respond to questions at this time. The man pulling his strings is out of the country and will return too shortly to tell him what to say.