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SENATOR McCAIN STATEMENT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING THE SECRET BALLOT PROCESS
June 26, 2007
“Mr. President, I am strongly opposed to H.R. 800, the so-called “Employee Free Choice Act of 2007.” Not only is the bill’s title deceptive, the enactment of such an ill-conceived legislative measure would be a gross deception to the hard working Americans who would fall victim to it.
“Since the inception of our democracy, we as citizens have placed a great amount of pride in our ability to freely cast votes and voice our opinions on how federal, state, and local business should be conducted. Our ability to voice opinions through secret ballots stands as one of the hallmarks of our democratic process. Certainly, now, perhaps more than ever, we should be working to uphold this hallmark, not tear it down for the convenience of organized labor, which has been struggling with a declining membership. This bill is the product of partisan politics at its worst and it must be soundly defeated.
“During the early 20th century, we experienced a rapid growth in our labor force and, as a result, a push by unions to increase their membership. In response to aggressive and questionable recruiting practices by some unions, Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act (NRLA) of 1947. One of the main tenets of this legislation was to afford hardworking Americans the right to privately cast their vote on whether or not to organize, free of intimidation and coercion from union representatives and employees. Unfortunately, before us today is a bill that seeks to strip this fundamental right from our nation’s workers. Ironically dubbed the “Employee Free Choice Act of 2007,” this legislation would enact a “card check” process, allowing unions to bypass the long used and successful secret balloting system.
“The proposed legislation is a direct attack on one of the most basic tenets of our democratic process, which is why it is opposed by a majority of American workers. A recent poll conducted by the non-partisan Coalition for a Democratic Workplace found that 90% of union households oppose this legislation. Another poll by McLaughlin and Associates indicated that almost 9 out of 10 voters agree that workers should continue to have the right to a federally-supervised secret ballot election when deciding whether or not to organize a union.
“My concern is—and it is a concern shared by many—that if enacted this measure would expose workers to intimidation and the fear of retaliation for votes cast. We simply cannot allow this assault on democracy from becoming law. Instead, we should be working for the swift enactment of S.1312, the Secret Ballot Protection Act of 2007, which I am proud to cosponsor along with 26 of my colleagues, to ensure secret ballot elections for employees.
“I strongly urge my colleagues to vote “No” on H.R. 800 and to halt the full Senate’s debate on this ill-conceived, flawed measure.”
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