Ray questions Senate candidate Tom Allen's support of "card-check" legislation, which includes a provision to eliminates the secret ballot when workers are voting on whether to unionize.
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About Me
- Ray Richardson
- I live in Westbrook with my wonderful wife Dee Dee and our four children. We have been residents of Maine for a little over 22 years, moving here from Florida in 1985.
8 comments:
Ray this sounds fair to me.
The employees will make the choice
I don't see where your spin saying it will take the secret ballot away from employees is valid here.
I thought capitalism was all about choices.
Excerpt from Sen kennedy's bill.
"Under the bill, employees will be able to choose between two options for gaining union recognition—a card check or the NLRB electionprocess. Since anti-union conduct is so rampant in union election campaigns, the elections become coercive and hostile, rather than free and fair. Under current law, workers can try to avoid such elections by asking the employer to recognize their union based on a signed worker authorization—a card check; but employers often refuse to accept a card-check procedure. Even if all employees sign cards supporting union representation, the employer can still require an election. The bill preserves the rights of union members by requiring employers to bargain with a union authorized by a majority of workers through the card-check procedure".
Bruce - what is fair about having to choose whether or not you have the right to vote?
This is coercion 101. This bill is designed to force union membership by eliminating voting in private. You can hide behind the choice mantra - but when a fundamental right to vote IN PRIVATE becomes an option - I have big concerns--and you should to.
It is laughable that you are trying to spin this as capitalism by the way.
So Bruce, what you're saying is that having an open "card check" is more fair than a secret ballot where no union boss knows what you voted.
Currently, workers have the option to unionize under the process protected by the National Labor Relations Board which devotes it's time to keeping the sanctity of secret ballots. The EFCA bill is an attack on the democratic process and will open the door for retribution or rewards depending on how the workers vote.
Tom Allen says he is a voice for workers but this bill is anything but a pro-worker. It is absurd to me that a representative elected by a secret ballot has the audacity to sponsor a bill that eliminate the opportunity for others.
See Ray,
Someone else does read this stuff.
It does not eliminate the opportunity for a secret ballot, it gives the workers a choice.
Right now intimidation takes place by management constantly.
They are the ones who are afraid of this bill not the workers.
This is one part of a bill that will try to restore some strength to the working middle class who are at the mercy of of management.
Wal mart is shaking in their boots over this
The capitalism line was sarcasm, forgot the audience here.
Workers should stand up and be counted instead of hiding behind anonymity, then reaping the benefits the union got for them.
At our town meetings we vote with a show of hands on 95% of the articles.
"According to a survey of 400 NLRB election campaigns in 1998 and 1999, 36 percent of workers who vote against union representation explain their vote as a response to employer pressure.1 The NLRB election process makes matters worse by enabling management to wage lengthy and bitter anti-union campaigns, during which workers can expect harassment, intimidation, threats and firings. By avoiding these inherently coercive and anti-democratic anti-union campaigns, majority-rule majority sign-up procedures help employees make freer choices under less duress"
Why are conservatives like Ray jumping on this, because they hate the idea of unions. period. They are in no way concerned about the rights of the worker, union or not.. Their stand is a sham.
Gee, Bruce, do you belong to a Union? Or are you once again trying to dazzle all of us with your opinons on something that you know nothing about? I do belong to a union, Local S6 of the IAW, which represents my interests at BIW. As the other posters have said, any legislation that takes away the fundmental right to a private vote should send shivers down your spine. You say that the employees have a choice, and I agree. But I will also tell you that the vast majority of those same employees would prefer the private vote. And I say this based on first hand observationa and experience. What are you forming your opinion on? Blind faith in Mr. Tom Allen is a fools errand. The Democrats love to talk a big game about being all about the worker, but that could be further from the truth. History has provided many examples of that propaganda: Soviet Russia, North Korea, Cuba, etc. All the Democrats really care about is getting their hands on as much of the workers money as possible through high taxes, so they can then turn around and give it to a bunch of deadbeats. They call it "redistibution of wealth". I call it legalized robbery. What was Tom Allen thinking? Short answer is, he doesn't.
I did belong to one for 5 years.
I am self employed now
I am glad you are dazzled.
My brother in law works at BIW in a union there. I will ask him what he thinks.
My reading of this bill leads me to believe that it is not taking away private vote but adding another choice to it.
You belong to a strong well established union because it is in the defense contracting business at BIW
Extending the benefits that you have to other unions that struggle to keep their existence should be a priority for you, but I guess brotherhood means dif. things to dif people.
Don't forget if someone like ray is against this, the passage of it must be god for the unions. he has repeatedly says the only good union is the policemen's. Go figure
May 2008 new
"AUGUSTA, Maine—Members of Bath Iron Works' largest union overwhelmingly approved a four-year contract that gives workers annual 3.5 percent to 4 percent pay hikes while increasing pension contributions and holding the line on health care contributions".
Wow Good going for your union Les
Guess you got yours.
Maybe Wal Mart workers would be able to unionize if the bill passes.
I guess you would not want that because you might have to pay a little more for purchases.
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