George McGovern and the Perils of the EFCA

No one can ever say that former Democratic Senator and presidential candidate George McGovern hasn't spent his life being a left-wing, pro-labor, anti-war progressive. He has always been a man of principle, the only problem being that his principles have been so contrary to much of mainstream America and the conservative viewpoint. For that reason, I was surprised this morning to read an op-ed written by McGovern speaking against a piece of legislation that Barack Obama and most Democrats back completely, the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which has not yet become law. Seen as a way to boost union rolls by hundreds of thousands of new members, this bill is this year's top election issue for organized labor.

The proposed ECFA strips away the workers' right to an election to choose whether or not they want to unionize their workplaces, substituting cards those workers have signed indicating that they want to join with a specific labor union. At the moment, these cards begin a union organizing process. If enough signatures are collected there is a secret ballot election. Over the years these cards have also been used to certify a union without the requirement for an election where management has engaged in unfair labor practices in an egregious manner. To certify a union on cards alone is ugly, essentially saying that management is so inherently unfair that it cannot be trusted in the union organizing process.

Mr. McGovern states, "There are many documented cases where workers have been pressured, harassed, tricked and intimidated into signing cards that have led to mandatory payment of dues, " and "Under EFCA, workers could lose the freedom to express their will in private, the right to make a decision without anyone peering over their shoulder, free from fear of reprisal."

This piece of legislation is an important and troubling issue in both the Presidential and Congressional elections. I urge you to read Mr. McGovern's article; it is excellent.