The American Spectator

CARD UNCHECKED br> Re: Doug Bandow’s Secret Ballots for Me But Not for Thee : /p>

Doug Bandow is quite right in arguing that the “card check” system that organized labor is pushing is an open invitation to deception and coercion of workers to get them to sign.

His closing comment that there isn’t any good reason why union representation has to be a matter of majority rule is extremely important. Nowhere in American law can an individual be compelled to accept another as his agent, except when it comes to labor. A true “Employee Freedom of Choice Act” would repeal the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and allow individuals to choose to join, or not to join, labor unions based on their own beliefs. In a free society, no one would be coerced into accepting representation he didn’t want. Getting rid of the NLRA would also have the virtue of eliminating another bit of governmental coercion — that employers are compelled to bargain with certified unions and only with them.

The backers of this legislation aren’t the least bit interested in freedom.

p>All they’re interested in is augmenting union power. br> — George C. Leef br> Raleigh, North Carolina /p>

The secret ballot is what separates a democracy from a Banana Republic, whether at the national level or the micro level of an assembly plant. There is no other way to insure that votes are cast through force of conscience, not thuggery.

p>We must also recognize that the right to privacy is at stake here. Neither union activists nor management have any business knowing who voted how. Such disclosure only invites abuse from all sides.