Knoxville Chamber is opposed to EFCA
Act would undermine long-standing democratic principles
Knoxville, TN (March 11, 2009) - Today the Knoxville Chamber announced its opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act also known as the "Card Check Bill," which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday. The Knoxville Chamber has also joined with the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Memphis Chamber, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in opposing the legislation.
"Labor unions have a place in American society. That's not up for debate," says Mike Edwards, President & CEO of the Knoxville Chamber. "But this legislation would radically upset 60 years of carefully crafted labor laws that have served both unions and employers well."
EFCA allows unions to collect signatures on a petition or "cards" to authorize unionization. This process would be done in the open where workers might feel intimidated by their colleges or union organizers. If organizers obtain fifty percent of employees' signatures than the union would be approved. There would be no secret ballot vote as is currently the practice. In addition, the Act would undermine the collective bargaining process through forced binding arbitration and impose substantial new penalties on employers.
"Voting without intimidation is a central democratic principle," continues Edwards. "EFCA virtually eliminates secret ballot voting and its passage would increase the risk for employee exploitation and coercion."
Tennessee's right to work tradition gives employers a strong incentive to provide substantial benefits to employees. The many failed organizing votes at some of the state's most prominent companies are evidence of the success of this tradition. The threat of card check jeopardizes the state's right to work status, which has helped attract many billions of dollars in new capital investment and several hundred thousand jobs to Tennessee in the past decade alone.