Card Check

8 Items from a Labor Glossary #1

Definition

Also known as "Majority Sign-Up", card check is a method of labor organizing that says if more than 50% of employees sign cards saying they want to join a union, then the union is authorized by law to bargain for those employees. Under current law, card check is an option for union organizing, but it is dependent upon the company accepting the card check results. In other words, the company can request an election regardless of the card check results. (Additionally, if 30% of employees sign cards, the union can request an election, but they generally do not unless they have cards for 50% - 60% of the workforce so that they know they will win the election.)

The Conservative Spin

You've heard it from every conservative in the nation. "Card check" is going to destroy the secret ballot election. It will lead to union thugs forcing employees to sign their cards. It will be crazy. Intimidation will run rampant! Best of all, these corporate groups claim they are just protecting the interests of their employees. As I'm sure you know, none of this is even remotely true.

As Ezra Klein skillfully points out in this post, the numbers just don't back up the accusations throw out by employers and their special interest groups. An employee is far more likely to face intimidation (if not outright firing) by their employer in a secret ballot election. Their employer might bring-in union busters. Employers will reward employees who rat out the names of the employees who are attempting to organize. If not fired, the organizers might find their hours reduced, or their shift changed. Employees will be threatened with a company-wide shutdown if they elect to a join a union. Bottom line, employees were twice as likely to face management intimidation during a secret ballot election than during a card check election.

The Call to Action

Labor unions have been at the heart of the Democratic Party for a long, long time now. As Democrats, we should be proud of this association. It shows that we support the working men and women of our nation. We support those who labor, regardless of their profession. As partners, the Democratic party and the labor movement all but created the middle class as we know it. It is not a coincidence that we have seen the stagnation of real wages, rising income inequality and the shrinking of the middle class during a period where union membership has taken a nose dive thanks to conservative lies and thuggery. Unions are vital and necessary to a healthy economy. They are vital and necessary for our recovery. It is time that we once again stand up for the right to organize and help the workers take back what their employers have stolen from them.

Further Reading

• Wikipedia
• National Restaurant Organization (Conservative Crap Spin)
• Service Employees International Union
• Slate
• American Rights at Work

Previous Items in This Series: An Introduction