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Congressman
Wally Herger today voted against H.R. 800, legislation that would change
the process by which unions are organized.
March 1, 2007
"Herger Opposes Legislation Undermining Protections for American
Workers"
(Washington, DC) - Congressman Wally Herger today voted against H.R.
800, legislation that would change the process by which unions are organized.
Under current law, if a majority of employees at a workplace sign cards
indicating that they wish to form a union, either the employees or the
employer can request a secret ballot election supervised by the National
Labor Relations Board. H.R. 800 would change the law, enabling a union
to automatically form when a majority of employees have signed cards,
without the opportunity for a secret ballot. Herger made the following
comment regarding his opposition to this legislation:
"This legislation would strip away the fundamental right of American
workers to free and fair elections," Herger stated. "The secret
ballot is a basic principle of our democracy. No one would ever suggest
that people be forced to publicly reveal their votes for President or
Congress. Yet that is exactly the system this bill would impose on workers.
If H.R. 800 becomes law, workers will no longer be able to make important
decisions about union membership in the privacy of the voting booth. Instead,
they will be forced to make those decisions in an environment that would
pose a greater risk of misinformation, fraud, and physical and psychological
intimidation."
Herger concluded, "American workers should have the right to choose
whether or not they want to join a union. I'm afraid that this bill would
create a system that would not provide sufficient protection against coercion
and manipulation. The House majority refused even to accept an amendment
to establish a 'do-not-call' system for workers who do not wish to receive
further union-related communications. I hope the Senate and the President
will reject this profoundly anti-democratic legislation."
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