EFA News Center

Bayh: Caught between "Barack and a Hard Place" on Card Check Legislation

Economic Fredom Alliance — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:13:00 GMT

Sen. Bayh's position can put the matter to rest, according to bill's opponents

Poll reveals majority of Indiana residents oppose card check

Economic Freedom Alliance — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:55:00 GMT

Poll reveals majority of Indiana residents oppose legislation that could take away secret ballot and allow more government power in labor matters.

Union households show higher opposition to EFCA

FACT SHEET: Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)

Economic Freedom Alliance — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:15:00 GMT

Provisions of the EFCA
•   Unions would be formed once 50% of those working at a particular site sign cards.
•   Eliminates a secret ballot vote by employees; workers’ votes would be made public to employer, union organizers and co-workers.
•   Requires that upon union certification, the business and union would have 120 days to reach an agreement before facing “binding arbitration.”
•   If labor agreement not reached and referred to arbitration, a federal government official, without a vote by union employees or approval by the employer, would make binding decisions regarding employee pay, health care, vacation policy, and other work-related conditions.
•   Does not limit size or scope of employers who may be the subject of unionization, affecting both large and small businesses alike.
•   While unions can continue to engage in all union organizing activities without increased penalties, the EFCA increases penalties on employers who violate the Act, tripling back pay for the firing of union supporters during organizing and creating fines of up to $20,000 for repeat violations, among other things. Unions could use the threat of increased fines as an organizing tactic and file unfair labor practices against businesses. Businesses would have to legally defend themselves against the complaints or face fines up to $20,000 per incidence. The legal fees could be enormous and could literally force some businesses to fail or accept a union.

The Case Against EFCA

Richard A. Epstein — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:37:00 GMT

The work that I have taken to complete this book has been done on a highly compressed time schedule. During the late summer of 2008, I was approached by my friend James Franczek, senior partner at the Chicago labor law firm of Franczek, Radelet & Rose, about the possibility of doing some work on the proposed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which passed the House of Representatives in 2008, only to die in the Senate after a procedural vote to consider the bill failed to garner the necessary 60 votes. Franczek, and others whom I met with that summer, were confident that the reintroduction of EFCA was highly likely in 2009, especially if the Democratic majority increased in the Senate and (as has turned out to be the case) Barack Obama was elected President of the United States.

Eye on energy

Lee Provost — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:23:00 GMT

Opponents: New environmental policies would be detrimental

Citizen saviors?

Lee Provost — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:03:00 GMT

B r a d l e y resident Tom Cameron nodded his head in agreement and loudly clapped his hands during several points of
Tuesday’s town hall meeting titled “Keep Jobs in Kankakee.”

OpEd: Worried about card check, cap and trade Halvorson’s vote critical

Jerry Kuntz — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:53:00 GMT

A pop icon passed away. Another star politician fell from grace. While these recent developments have drawn much public attention, none impact the everyday lives of people in Kankakee like the barrage of federal legislation that is currently making its way through Congress. With unemployment in Illinois at its highest rate in 25 years, government must enact policies that will encourage, not stifle, business growth.

OpEd: Don`t support the Employee Free Choice Act

Janice Christiansen — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:30:00 GMT

As the owner of FlagSource, a small flag production business based in Batavia, I greatly respect the pragmatic approach my Congressman Bill Foster (D-14th) has taken on many issues in his first few months in office. In this regard, I would like to ask the congressman to reconsider his support of an ill-conceived bill that I fear will increase intimidation by union organizers in the workplace.

Letter: Kilroy should vote against card-check legislation

Thom Coffman — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:39:00 GMT

As Ohioans work hard to boost our economy, it's important that all levels of government act to help -- and not hinder -- job retention and creation.

Letter: Employee Free Choice Act hurts small business

Marty Halm — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:54:00 GMT

I take issue with a joint opinion piece on the stalled card check bill (a.k.a. Employee Free Choice Act) featured on June 14 ("In need of real labor reform," Commentary).

Ministers fear for workers in union `check card` legislation

Nancy Harty WBBM Newsradio 780 — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:40:00 GMT

CHICAGO (WBBM) - A group of Chicago ministers is calling on Senators Dick Durbin and Roland Burris to vote against what' called "check card" legislation.

Letter: Foster is absolutely wrong on EFCA issue

Dick Floyd — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:24:00 GMT

Thank you for your editorial concerning Representative Bill Foster's sponsorship and support for the wrongly named "Employee Free Choice Act." I could not believe he would support a bill to deprive union employees of their "free choice" by eliminating their secret ballot.

EFCA’s First Contract Compulsory Arbitration Provisions Could Be Disastrous

R. Theodore Clark Jr. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:01:00 GMT

While most of the debate over the euphemistically titled Employee Free Choice Act initially centered on the use of card checks instead of secret ballot elections to determine whether employees want union representation, EFCA’s compulsory interest arbitration provisions for first contracts are finally getting the critical scrutiny that they deserve. On that score, EFCA is anything but free choice for either employees or employers.

Unions in Debt: Big labor has big financial problems it wants to keep quiet.

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:11:00 GMT

'We spent a fortune to elect Barack Obama," declared Andy Stern last month, and the president of the Service Employees International Union wasn't exaggerating. The SEIU and AFL-CIO have been spending so much on politics that they're going deeply into debt.

EDITORIAL: EFCA bad for businesses, workers

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:18:00 GMT

The name of the legislation suggests a profound benefit to the working person. However, the Employee Free Choice Act is a devastatingly destructive piece of legislation that has the potential to limit the number of choices already granted to the average working person.

The Employee Free Choice Act would drastically change how unions could form at local businesses and industries. It’s also a dangerous bill that flies in the face of democracy.

EDITORIAL: EFCA wrong for businesses, labor

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:46:00 GMT

The name of the legislation suggests a profound benefit to the working person. However, the Employee Free Choice Act is a devastatingly destructive piece of legislation that has the potential to limit the number of choices already granted to the average working person.

The Employee Free Choice Act would drastically change how unions could form at local businesses and industries. It's also a dangerous bill that flies in the face of democracy.

Letter: Jackson should reconsider bill

Bob DeBolt — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:47:00 GMT

As the owner of a small, unionized manufacturing company in Chicago Heights that employs about 30 people, I appreciate the freedom to unionize in this country. F.H. Ayer Manufacturing Co. has produced custom machine parts for the steel, electronic, municipal and food industries for more than 100 years. We run our business like a family and have always enjoyed a great relationship with our union.

New poll suggests majority of Peoria County residents oppose card check

Economic Freedom Alliance — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:39:00 GMT

New poll suggests majority of Peoria County residents oppose part of legislation that could take away secret ballot

OpEd: Ron Gidwitz: The Employee Free Choice Act is anything but that

Ron Gidwitz — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:10:00 GMT

There is no greater test of the resilience of a business than that of a recession. With unemployment reeling near double-digits throughout Chicagoland, local businesses are scrambling to remain competitive and retain profits in order to keep jobs. Ironically, Congress introduced a dangerous bill on March 10 that would make it even more difficult to accomplish these goals.

OpEd: Ron Gidwitz: Union card check bad for business

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There is no greater test of the resilience of a business than that of a recession. With unemployment reeling near double digits throughout Chicagoland, local businesses are scrambling to remain competitive and retain profits in order to keep jobs. Ironically, Congress introduced a dangerous bill on March 10 that would make it even more difficult to accomplish these goals.

An Empirical Assessment of the Employee Free Choice Act

Anne Layne-Farrar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:29:00 GMT

The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which is pending before the US Congress, would provide for union representation when an employee majority has signed union authorization cards and would create a system of mandatory arbitration if a collective bargaining agreement is not reached approximately 130 days after a union is newly certified.