House considers bill to change union organization, negotiation procedures

An important piece of legislation is moving forward in the 110th US Congress. HR 800, the Employee Free Choice Act, was placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar #8, on February 16.

The purpose of the bill is: “To amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts, and for other purposes.”

It was introduced by Representative George Miller of California with 233 supporters, among them 4th District Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Milwaukee.

According to Michael Sandler in the Congressional Quarterly, the legislation that “would make it easier for unions to woo workers to their cause could be the first real test of organized labor’s clout in the Democratic-controlled Congress.”

Currently, employers can call for a vote by secret ballot after a majority of employees have signed union cards, a step which the AFL-CIO has called coercive. The bill would eliminate that option, a step that business groups say allows union organizers to be coercive.

The bill also provides the option of unions and employers moving into mediation after talks have been stalled for 90 days, with binding arbitration to follow if no agreement is reached 30 days after mediation began. Current law calls for good faith bargaining only.

To read opposing viewpoints on this issue, look at Helping Workers Secure the American Dream and The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace. The latter coalition includes the Assisted Living Federation of America, the national organization for the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association.