There is nothing that is 'free' about the 'Employee Free Choice Act'

“Free Choice” —WikiAnswers.com defines it as “a decision, which is made by a rational entity free of force.”

So, it would make sense that legislation titled the “Employee Free Choice Act” would in some way mean that an employee has a free choice, correct? Wrong!

If you have ever participated in an election, you always do so via “secret ballot” — you know, that booth with the curtain that closes when you pull the lever? That’s what we do in a democratic society.

Traditionally, if a group of employees saw the need to unionize themselves, there would be a secret ballot election, much like any other democratic election in our country.

The Employee Free Choice Act would, in essence, take away that right. As long as the majority of employees signed a “card check” stating they want a union, you’re unionized.

The proponents of this legislation want us to believe that if one-third of workers want to have an election, it will happen.

Don’t believe it. The fact is, once union organizers convince more workers to sign these card checks, none of the workers would be allowed to hold the secret election.

Fifty years ago, unionization was a good idea, when one-third of the work force was unionized. There weren’t laws in place protecting employees as there are now. Low wages, unsafe work conditions and lack of benefits were a serious issue in a lot of work-places.

Now we have employment laws in place, OSHA standards and competitive wages. Today, the private sector that is unionized has fallen to 7.5 percent. Why the need for a union in this day and age? Other than the money they pull from your check for their “dues,” unions are nearly obsolete.

How in the world could a union persuade a group of employees to pay dues for nothing?

Well, by coming to your home and telling you that “This piece of paper is just a survey to see how many people might be interested.” Yes, that’s called lying. How do they know where you live?

Sometimes they collect license plate numbers and find your information illegally. Sometimes they do a little “Dumpster diving” to find out information (also illegal on private property).

With this Employee Free Choice Act, the union can, in fact, disenfranchise 65.6 percent of workers in Virginia alone. Disenfranchise means “to deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege or immunity; especially: to deprive of the right to vote.”

What irks me the most is not the employees’ decision to form a union; it’s the fact that the employees are not allowed to make their decision via a secret ballot.

Why the Employee Free Choice Act? Because unions are businesses. They need money to run.

And whether they get that money through coercion, deception or simply misnamed legislation, it’s all money in their pockets.

There have been many articles written about this act. Jackson Lewis’ Web site stated it best: “Employee Free Choice Act —Organized Labor’s Bailout Tactic.” That’s it in a nutshell.

Imagine this scenario — you’re at work and you have an issue that you need to discuss with your manager. You’ve always had a good relationship with her, and she’s always had an “open-door” policy.

Now, you’re part of a union. And that issue you have? You can’t go to your manager, you have to go through your union representative. Yes, that’s what your dues are paying for — a middleman.

Don’t be fooled by the phrase “Employee Free Choice Act.” There’s nothing “free” about it. Our Armed Forces fight to keep us in a democratic society, and we should maintain the right to a secret ballot election, whether in our personal lives or at work.

Smith’s column runs every Friday on the editorial page.