Proposed Union Voting Rules
By bobmnu
@bobmnu (8157)
United States
June 27, 2008 9:30am CST
One of the items that Senator Obama has endorsed is the Proposed changes to voting for or against a union in a place of employment. The new rules would do away with the secret ballot and replace it with a signed card supporting or opposing the formation of a union. This new rule would allow Union Organizers to come around and ask you to sign the card while they waited, thus everyone would know how you voted. There would be no more secret ballot.
As I was checking my mail this morning I saw this news article
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080627/ap_on_re_af/zimbabwe
and my first reaction was I am glad I don't live in Zimbabwe. The more I though about it this is exactly what Senator Obama wants for Union Elections. Right now we do voter registration through groups like ACORN who approach people in the street and ask them to register to vote and look at how many new voters we have now. Is it a far step to say lets let groups go around ad escort people to the voting place and make sure they vote? Or just take the ballots with you and get people to vote and sign the ballot on the spot.
If people lose the right to a secret ballot for Union voting can it be far off that we lose our right to a secret ballot for local elections or primary elections. What about using Opinion Polls?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
27 Jun 08
This is nothing but Obama giving unions the service they have bought and paid for.
What this idea does is remove the hardest hurdle union leaders have when trying to unionize a workplace. Right now, all signing those cards means is that you would be interested in having a meeting to discuss unionization. At the meeting the union reps and the management of the company both get their say before a vote is taken.
I worked at a place where some of the employees decided they could do better if we unionized. About 80% of the employees signed those cards. A few of us who didn't want anything to do with a union went to work, talking to our co-workers about what unionizing would mean. By the time the meeting was held, there was so little interest in unionizing that even the union reps chose not to bother showing up. If Obama had his way, we would have been unionized before any of us would have had the chance to speak up.
1 person likes this
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
28 Jun 08
In one school district I worked for the support staff decided to join a union. They were sold on the fact that they could get better salary and benefit package. Their dues the first year were twice the salary raise. Now they were working two years to pay for one years dues. They have about the same in salary negotiation as they had done before they joined the Union.
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
27 Jun 08
I have been told hearsay evidence from a person I consider reliable of union thugs using subtle threats of force during contract negotiations. This is as simple as mailing survellance photoes of one's children while playing in the school yard. No words even have to be said. Imagine, you receive a packet containing proof someone knows where your children and family are during the day. Combine this with your dog had its throat slit and there is a note in the packet of pics telling you how to vote, what do you do? These things do happen.
Now, Obama wants to do away with that secret union ballot? I think we now know whether or not he is a good guy or a bad guy.
1 person likes this
@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
27 Jun 08
Maybe next we can sign card of support or opposing a candidate. I am sure there will be not pressure and strong arm tactices going on here, yeah right. Obama keeps telling us that we need to be more like the world, being like Zimbabwe would be a great start. Of course the government would "let" you vote for whoever you wanted to vote for, they might shoot your family afterward and probably would not count your vote, but you still got to vote for who you want.
If that is the change the great Obama is wanting I might be changing my country.
