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Some Common Sense in Minnesota
Minnesota, for one reason or another, has quickly become the epicenter of the debate about the deceptively-named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). Earlier this summer, the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor party (DFL) Chairman called us liars for suggesting that the bill would eliminate secret ballot elections in workplace unionization elections. We, in turn, challenged him to [more...]

Posted Wed, 27 Aug 2008 .

I don’t know where to start
Folks, its been one hell of a morning here. First of all, Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus was on CNBC talking about the deceptively-named Employee Free Choice Act. As I mentioned yesterday, Marcus had an Op-Ed in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal. I think it was safe to say he was definitely fired up and ready [more...]

Posted Wed, 27 Aug 2008 .

 Read more at LaborPains.org

Poor Elections Record

Freedom of choice is a matter at the very center of our national labor relations policy, and a secret election is the preferred method of gauging choice.
— Avecor v. NLRB, D.C. Circuit, 1991

Bruce Raynor, president of the union UNITE HERE, explains: "There's no reason to subject the workers to an election." One SEIU local leader has flatly admitted to the Wall Street Journal, "We don't do elections." And no wonder. Even though unions have ultimate control over if and when certification elections are held, they still lose four in ten elections they call. And employees have chosen no representation at all in more than 2,000 certification and decertification elections over a two-year period.

According to the National Labor Relations Board 's annual report figures for cases closed in 2003 and 2004 (covering all NLRB-overseen certification and decertification elections):

All Representation Elections   2004     2005  
Overall Union win (%)    53.2 %    56.8 % 
AFL-CIO Win (%)    50.8 %    53.8 % 
Elections in which
no union was chosen		   1,272     1,145  


 
In the first half of the government's Fiscal Year 2005:

  • Unions organized about 24 percent fewer workers through elections than in the same period in the previous year.
  • The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) organized half as many workers through elections as it did in the first half of 2004.
  • The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) won only 43 percent of the elections it held.

Source: Bureau of National Affairs, Dec. 9, 2005