Republicans to Propose Own Secret Ballot Legislation

EFCA Opponents to Sponsor Legislation

Later today, Republicans in Congress will introduce a bill which would require the use of a secret ballot in any elections conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. According to a press release, the proposed legislation is in response to the Employee Free Choice Act, and will be announced at a press conference later today.

Sponsors of the bill include Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Representative Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.), John Kline (R-Minn.), and Tom Price, (R-Ga).

If passed, it would become an unfair labor practice for a company to recognize or bargain with a union that has not been selected via secret ballot by a majority of employees in an NLRB election. It would also be a unfair labor practice for a union to try to force an employer to recognize or bargain with a union not selected by a secret ballot NLRB election.

Such bills have been proposed previously with little success. This figures to become a chip in the inevitable wrangling over the Employee Free Choice Act which has not yet been submitted.