Americans Oppose Forced Labor Votes

A survey by the Workforce Fairness Institute evidences that Americans Oppose Forced Labor Votes

Workforce Fairness Institute Poll Highlights:

Voters oppose replacing the secret ballot with card check 59-34

They oppose EFCA's binding arbitration provision 54-39

63% say that if EFCA becomes law, 63% say unions would "use deception, harassment, and even coercion to get employees to sign a pro-union card.

When presented with neutral language that describes the two main components of the Employee Free Choice Act, solid majorities of those who voted in this year’s elections oppose the proposed llegislation. A couple of important themes arise in this survey data. First, the more familiar voters are with the Employee Free Choice Act, the more opposed they are to it. Secondly, voters do not see this as a partisan or ideologically driven issue. Both a majority f Republican and Democratic voters oppose the Employee Free Choice Act, as do conservatives and liberals alike. Additionally, voters in the political middle – the battleground states where McCain and Obama won with less than 55% of the vote – oppose this legislation by very significant margins. And, in a clear warning sign to those newly elected (and re-elected) Democrat U.S. Senators, a solid majority of voters in your states oppose both components of the Employee Free Choice Act.

This data shows that Americans have a strong attachment to the secret ballot process. Among the few voters who support unionizing their employer, the overwhelming majority say they would want to decide the issue with a secret ballot process and not a card check system. Why? One reason that can’t be taken lightly is the very real concern voters have that a card check process would lead to increased worker intimidation by union organizers.

A few of the Survey's Key Findings: When presented with neutral language describing the key provisions of the bill, voters surveyed opposed both facets. They strongly oppose a card check system and instead support the secret ballot process and they oppose changing the bargaining process. The poll found that 59% of all voters oppose the elimination of the secret ballot in union organizing elections and 53% oppose binding arbitration in contract negotiations.

In fact, when asked their preference if a union tried to organize in their workplace: 81% preferred a secret ballot, with only 14% preferring the card-check process. The survey found that even most union households oppose both key components of the Employee Free Choice Act with fully 53% of union households opposing the elimination of the secret ballot and 555 opposing binding arbitration.

Voters have serious concerns about worker protections should the Employee Free Choice Act become law. Nearly two out of three voters (63%) say that if the Employee Free Choice Act passes they are worried that union organizers would “use deception, harassment, and even coercion to get employees to sign a pro-union card.”

It appears obvious to all that there is strong and broad based opposition to the bill. EFCA will be a very divisive issue for the new Congress to pursue and the Congress needs to be focused on the economy verses Union paybacks. With the Big 3 auto industry struggling, even Union's will be affected by the ripple affect of significant decreased membership created by auto companies downsizing. The UAW membership may be meaningless if the Big 3 are forced to close their doors because of astronomical Union labor rates and employee benefit packages when compared to the cost of labor and benefits at other auto manufacturing plants in the Unites States and foreign countries. Forced unionization of workers without the workers secret vote evidences that union management desperate attempt to save their own jobs. Union employees should be concerned with their "union managed" pensions.

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Tags: Card Check, EFCA, Employee Free Choice Act, exit polls, Survey To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!