Apparently, union bosses have now resorted to equating union membership to serving in the military.  It was recently reported that mailings going out in our state and directed at Senator Dianne Feinstein say, “Americans should be able to join a union the same way we join the military…by signing our name.” 
 
This demonstrates such a profound misunderstanding of the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act (EFCA) that one has to question whether the message’s advocates had any intention of making intellectually honest arguments or whether outright deception was their goal.
 
Unfortunately, as the debate on EFCA has evolved, advocates of taking away a secret ballot from workers and mandating government arbitrators on small businesses have decided that they are not able to argue about the merits of their case.  In turn, they have resorted to making comparisons that stretch both the imagination and truth.
 
First off, the men and women that voluntary decide to join our military do so to protect every American and deserve the highest level of praise and respect.  Likewise, many that join unions do so to provide for their families and better their workplaces and communities and for that, they should be lauded.
 
But people in this country join the military voluntarily – of their own free will and without any undue pressure – as there is no draft. They do so ensure the liberties we enjoy – like the secret ballot – a bedrock in democracy are protected.
 
EFCA – at its core – takes away a liberty we have enjoyed in this country since its inception. 
 
This law also exposes workers to bullying and intimidation from union bosses.  This is the anti-thesis of making a decision of free will or without strain. After being pressured into signing cards, the decision of 50% of employees to form a union forces a unionization on the entire company. 
 
That flies in the face of the decision men and women make every day to join our Armed Forces. 
 
When men and women join the military they understand the terms of the agreement.  They have a chance to review those terms and make the decision as to whether the contract best suits them.
 
Under EFCA, once a union is formed – whether you agreed to unionize the workplace or not – if the employer and union cannot reach an agreement in just over three months – the government decides the terms of the contract.
 
Workers don’t decide the terms they must live and abide by.  In fact, they have absolutely no say. 
 
This flies in the face of the comparison made by these California union bosses.  EFCA would result in workers losing a key freedom, and being intimidated and forced to abide by contract terms they didn’t agree to. 
 
It is unfortunate that the debate on this issue has deteriorated so quickly that union bosses so intent on forcing membership growth and increased due payment would make unfair and dishonest comparisons.
 
At the end of the day though, the American people are watching and listening and they know that EFCA is a bad law that would do away a key right and hurt our economy – the very opposite action of a hero signing up to stand up and defend our liberties.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 14th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.