Chamber Praises Senate Vote to Block Bill on Threat to Union Elections

WASHINGTON, DC—The United States Chamber of Commerce today applauded the Senate vote to not proceed to H.R. 800, the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), calling the bill that replaces secret ballots in union elections with a card check process a threat to employee rights.

"The Senate got it right by blocking action on this absolutely outrageous bill," said Tom Donohue, Chamber president and CEO. "The right to a secret ballot is a fundamental aspect of American elections. Secret ballots protect the rights of the individual and prevent coercion, and that's worth fighting to preserve. Senators used their votes appropriately to preserve the ability of employees to vote in private on whether they will join a union. We hope this will end any further consideration of this particularly outrageous bill."

The card check process called for in EFCA would force employees to make a choice on whether to support forming a union in front of union organizers and fellow employees who support unionization, leaving them vulnerable to threats and other pressure tactics. Other provisions in the bill would empower government arbitrators to impose contracts on employers governing wages, benefits, and any other term or condition of the workplace, and impose penalties on employers with no increases in penalties for unions.

The Chamber, along with its federation partners nationwide, led the opposition against the bill by launching a massive, multifaceted grassroots lobbying campaign. Included in the effort were traditional requests for letters and a new online grassroots program called a "Virtual March" where participants could show their support by placing a personalized icon on a satellite image of the national Mall.

"The business community has mobilized against this bill in ways that we have not seen in many years because they recognize that it would undermine fundamental principles of workplace democracy such as the right to choose whether you will be represented by a union and the necessary privacy to express that choice," continued Donohue. "This will be one of the issues that helps decide who we support in future elections."

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation, representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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