Secret Ballot Initiative Backed by Business Group
According to The AP:
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new business-backed coalition is targeting at least five states in an attempt to require all union elections be conducted by secret ballot.
The group, called Save Our Secret Ballot, is proposing a 47-word amendment to state constitutions that reads, in part, "the right of individuals to vote by secret ballot shall be guaranteed." The coalition argues that such secrecy is necessary to protect against union intimidation.
The group plans initiative efforts in Arizona, Arkansas and Missouri and will work through legislatures to refer similar measures to the ballot in Nevada and Utah. The initiative was being launched Tuesday.
Additional states could be added to the campaign in coming weeks, said Tim Mooney, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based political consultant who is one of the directors of Save Our Secret Ballot.
The proposed state constitutional amendments highlight what is expected to be a big battle between unions and employers in the coming year.
Unions hope that the support of President-elect Barack Obama and a stronger Democratic majority can help win passage in 2009 of their top priority — the Employee Free Choice Act. The measure passed the House in 2007 but died in the Senate under a Republican filibuster.
The measure is designed to boost union membership by having employees sign union cards to form unions instead of holding secret ballot elections.
Unions say such elections give employers a chance to pressure their employees against unionization. By contrast, some businesses and the Save our Secret Ballot group contend that unions will intimidate workers into signing union cards if businesses cannot demand a secret election....click to continue.
