At today’s public County Commissioners’ Meeting, the Commissioners voted on Resolution No. 17 of 2009, entitled “Opposition to Federal Legislation Implementing the Card-Check Process and Eliminating Secret Ballots.” The three votes each fell along party lines, with Commissioners Dennis Stuckey and Scott Martin, both Republicans, voting in favor; and Commissioner Craig Lehman, a Democrat, opposing.
The “card-check process” relates to the proposed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would amend existing procedures required for the formation of a workers’ union. Under current legislation, workers must arrange in an open petition (card-check) showing workforce support of at least 30%. After this open petition is arranged, a secret ballot election is then held among the workforce to seek union certification from the National Labor Relations Board. The EFCA would allow automatic unionization if over 50% of the workforce is represented in the initial “card-check.”
Democrats usually support this legislation, citing that it can empower the workforce by potentially accelerating the unionization process and undercutting bureaucratic hurdles that could be manipulated to the employer’s advantage. Republicans tend to oppose this legislation, citing that it reduces the frequency of secret ballot elections, and thus encroaches upon the voter’s right to privacy.
Today’s Resolution was drafted for the purpose of nominally “urging” Pennsylvania’s Congressional Representatives to oppose the EFCA.
Commissioner Martin publicly expressed his personal support for the Resolution: “I, from a first-hand basis, understand how important it is that you’re able to hear opposing points of view in a campaign….[This amendment to the card-check process] would remove the ability of the secret ballot to ever be put forth.” Martin also noted that the EFCA scenario “would remove the employer’s right to also engage in the campaign….This is not about removing anyone’s right to organize, but this is about keeping a fair playing field for all those involved.”
Commissioner Lehman not only voted against the Resolution, but also questioned the intentions behind the measure: “On a personal level, I am disappointed. I believe this is being brought up simply to divide this Board….It may be said that we’re trying to influence Federal decision makers. Well, this is how I view that point:….I’m certain that every member of Congress, whether in Pennsylvania or not, is going to do as their constituents want them to do, not whether or not the Board of County Commissioners adopts or doesn’t adopt a Resolution on a Federal matter.”
Lehman concluded on a somber note: “I see this as nothing more than pandering and trying to score political points. That is not what this Board has been about. I hope and I pray that it is an aberration, because I find that the best decisions are those that are made collaboratively, collectively, with give-and-take, and with respect, not to simply divide this Board.”
