March 10 – Congressman Zach Wamp issued the following statement on congressional Democrats’ introduction of the “Employee Free Choice Act.” Also known as the “card check” bill, it would require that unions be certified when a simple majority of workers have publicly signed authorization cards. This “card check” process is unreliable because workers can be pressured or coerced by either union organizers or management to vote a particular way:

“Doing away with secret ballots undermines one of the very basic principles of American democracy – the right to vote in private without fear of intimidation or retribution. American workers should have their privacy respected in the workplace and should not face pressure to make their unionization views public. To guarantee that workers continue to have the right to a secret ballot, I support the Republican alternative. The Secret Ballot Protection Act would make sure that no one – either unions or employers – can take away workers’ right to vote by secret ballot.”

“We need to focus on policies that will create and preserve jobs for American workers to help get our economy moving in the right direction. Congress should be looking to pass legislation that strengthens our economy, creates jobs and helps America’s working families and small businesses.”