Speaking at the Feb. 8 House Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions subcommittee hearing on the bill, Kline echoed a line from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce when he declared EFCA "provides employees with anything but free choice.
"It would replace a system today, in which workers are empowered to cast their vote on whether or not to unionize in a thoroughly monitored, federally supervised private ballot election, with an unregulated, unmonitored \'card check\' process in which everyone--a worker\'s employer, his co-workers, the union--knows how he or she votes," Kline charged.
"This strips away the federally protected right to a secret ballot…That\'s not choice and it\'s certainly not \'free choice\' for employees," he declared. "Every Republican on this subcommittee agrees that the right to a private ballot in an election supervised by the federal government is a right we will go to the mat to protect."
Kline\'s comments followed the Chamber\'s line, which wrapped itself in the ballots while ignoring the employer abuses, harassment, secret one-on-one meetings, firings, intimidation, plant-closure threats and more that frequently precede "secret ballot" elections run by the National Labor Relations Board. Those tactics often successfully scare workers away from voting for union authorization.
The key provision Klein, and the Chamber, denounced, would require employers to recognize a union when a majority of workers sign up. This simple process would eliminate many of the opportunities for employers to abuse worker rights. Currently, for example, one of every five workers who try to join a union can expect to be fired, according to a study released last month.
Proponents say the new procedure would benefit the entire economy by providing workers the opportunity to join together to improve their wages, benefits and working conditions.
Kline\'s role in opposing the Employee Free Choice Act isn\'t the first time he\'s advocated for policies that hurt working people. He has a dismal 3 percent voting record on legislation affecting working families, according to the national AFL-CIO.
This article was written by Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.
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Speaking at the Feb. 8 House Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions subcommittee hearing on the bill, Kline echoed a line from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce when he declared EFCA "provides employees with anything but free choice.
"It would replace a system today, in which workers are empowered to cast their vote on whether or not to unionize in a thoroughly monitored, federally supervised private ballot election, with an unregulated, unmonitored \’card check\’ process in which everyone–a worker\’s employer, his co-workers, the union–knows how he or she votes," Kline charged.
"This strips away the federally protected right to a secret ballot…That\’s not choice and it\’s certainly not \’free choice\’ for employees," he declared. "Every Republican on this subcommittee agrees that the right to a private ballot in an election supervised by the federal government is a right we will go to the mat to protect."
Kline\’s comments followed the Chamber\’s line, which wrapped itself in the ballots while ignoring the employer abuses, harassment, secret one-on-one meetings, firings, intimidation, plant-closure threats and more that frequently precede "secret ballot" elections run by the National Labor Relations Board. Those tactics often successfully scare workers away from voting for union authorization.
The key provision Klein, and the Chamber, denounced, would require employers to recognize a union when a majority of workers sign up. This simple process would eliminate many of the opportunities for employers to abuse worker rights. Currently, for example, one of every five workers who try to join a union can expect to be fired, according to a study released last month.
Proponents say the new procedure would benefit the entire economy by providing workers the opportunity to join together to improve their wages, benefits and working conditions.
Kline\’s role in opposing the Employee Free Choice Act isn\’t the first time he\’s advocated for policies that hurt working people. He has a dismal 3 percent voting record on legislation affecting working families, according to the national AFL-CIO.
This article was written by Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.