Union households in Colorado are opposed to legislation that
would effectively end the use of secret ballots in organization
elections and open the way for binding arbitration, according to
a new poll. The so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which
includes both measures, remains the top legislative priority for
union bosses. But the poll released through the Workforce
Fairness Institute (WFI) shows that rank and file members are
opposed.
"Few union members in Colorado are familiar with the Employee
‘Forced' Choice Act, much less support it, even as union bosses
in Washington, D.C. tout its importance. And as union
households learn more about this job-killing legislation, they
clearly oppose it," said Katie Packer, executive director of the
Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI). "The Employee ‘Forced'
Choice Act would eliminate the secret ballot and empower
government to mandate contract terms on small businesses and
workers alike without their consent. Any politician who
chooses to stand with labor bosses over rank-and-file union
members places their own political fortune in serious
jeopardy."
BACKGROUND:
On behalf of the Workforce Fairness Institute, Public Opinion
Strategies (POS) presents their key findings of a Colorado
statewide telephone survey among voters and union
households. The study was completed December 12-15, 2009
among 500 registered voters (margin of error of +4.38%) and among
300 union households (margin of error of +5.66%) .
Some of these findings include:
59 percent of union households oppose changing the bargaining
process in unionization, which EFCA would do.
60 percent of union households oppose changing the way unions are
formed, which EFCA would do.
80 percent of all voters, as well as 73 percent of union
households do not support a government arbitrator having the
final say in determining contract terms, which EFCA would
do.