Tell Harry Reid to Protect Secret Ballots
Posted on April 28, 2007 at 8:05 pm by Chuck Muth
Dear Fellow American: No, you didn’t just wake up in the old Soviet Union, but…the House of Representatives did recently pass one of the most un-American pieces of legislation ever.
H.R. 800, the grossly misnamed “Employee Free Choice Act,” would eliminate an employee’s right to a “secret ballot” when voting on unionizing.
As I said at the time, “It is a fundamental American right to cast a ballot in secret to avoid intimidation and coercion. This bill is un-American in its attempt to take away a basic right of employees across the country. If secret ballot elections are necessary for Members of Congress, they certainly should be required to protect workers in deciding to form or not form a union at their workplaces.”
In fact, even the Los Angeles Times opposes this legislation. In an editorial they wrote, “Unions once supported the secret ballot for the organization elections… Whether to unionize is up to workers. A secret ballot ensures them that their choice will be a free one.”
Additionally, this bill exposes the blatant hypocrisy of the Democrats and Unions. They try to strip workers of the right to a secret ballot for unionizing, while at the same time requiring that a vote to decertify as a union is protected by a secret ballot. This is shameless hypocrisy at its worst.
Please sign this Secret Ballot Senate Petition addressed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Your full name and address will not be revealed to these leaders (unless you choose to do so), but your Petitions – along with thousands of others – will send a powerful signal to the Democrats that this is an issue of paramount importance to the American people.
Your participation in our Secret Ballot Petition campaign is critical because H.R. 800 is such a radical bill that it has been endorsed by the Communist Party USA.
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Why did this undemocratic bill pass?
It’s a pay off to all the left wing unions that helped elect San Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House.
You see, it’s no secret that union membership is at an historic low. These unions – and the liberal politicians they help elect – are concerned that so many workers are questioning the value of belonging to a union.
This is because so many people object to union corruption, the lavish lifestyles of union bosses, and their hard earned compulsory union dues being given to left wing political candidates they oppose.
Plus, most workers rightly reject the “us vs. them” approach that so many unions have towards management which undermines innovation, productivity, profitability, and even wages and job security.
Unwise and detrimental union policies include “featherbedding” – purposely inefficient union work rules designed to slow down productivity – controlling important management decisions of who can be hired and fired, and supporting political candidates who support socialism rather than free enterprise, which is the engine of economic growth.
Fortunately, it has become clear to workers that too often union policies are job-killers. But the liberal Democrats who passed H.R. 800 don’t care about corporate profitability, the job security of workers, or the right of workers to vote for or against union organizing without fear of reprisal.
The supporters of this undemocratic forced unionism bill only care about increasing the size and power of unions so that more money can be skimmed off to finance allegedly “pro-worker” politicians like themselves.
Of course, as a Congressman from Arizona, I strongly object to the notion that people who support compulsory unionism are “pro-worker.” If you look around the nation, the high growth, low unemployment states are almost always in right-to-work states like Arizona.
I firmly believe our right-to-work laws are more “pro-worker” than states where workers must join a union before becoming employed.
But whether or not you agree with me on right-to-work laws, I think you will agree it is beyond the pale to take away the secret ballot.
The secret ballot is the cornerstone of free and fair elections.
As you know, unions already have a bad reputation for corruption and intimidating workers who oppose their organizing efforts.
Workers who vote against union organizing may fear reprisals: everything from being ostracized, to having their tires slashed, to perhaps bodily injury.
Given past union corruption and intimidation, one could argue it is more important to protect the ballot box in union organizing elections than in regular political elections.
After all, nobody is going to harm you because you voted for John Kerry over George Bush, but some unions may use intimidation or fear to get workers to vote in favor of unionizing.
I believe this is the hope of those who want to take away secret ballots.
Since unions give the overwhelming majority of their donations to liberal Democratic politicians like Nancy Pelosi, they have an obvious conflict of interest… anything that increases the power of unions helps these liberals as well.
I believe the right to join a union is a fundamental right — but so are fair and honest elections.
If unions provide real benefits, workers will join in droves without any coercion. But the unions and liberal politicians who support H.R. 800 want to stack the deck by taking away secret ballots.
That’s how desperate they are to stop the decline in union membership!
Please sign your Secret Ballot Petition to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Your petitions ask senators to reject this legislation passed in the House.
Support Citizen Outreach Project
Citizen Outreach Project is led by Chuck Muth, a strong leader in the grassroots movement to end compulsory unionism and preserve secret ballots in union elections.
If we can get the word out, this is a battle supporters of free elections can win. But it will require the financial and moral support of citizens like you.
Like you, I believe it’s unfortunate that we have to fight this proposal. It simply amazes me that legislation taking away secret ballots passed the House of Representatives, but regrettably it did. Now it’s up to you and me to stop this bill from passing the Senate.
Citizen Outreach Project is leading the fight on Capitol Hill and at the state level to stop compulsory unionism – especially as it relates to preserving the secret ballot in union organizing elections.
Please send whatever you can afford to Citizen Outreach Project today, along with signing your Secret Ballot Petition to Senator Harry Reid.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my letter. It is critical we protect the right of citizens to join or not join unions. Secret ballots are essential to preserving our freedom of choice.
Sincerely,
John Shadegg
Member of Congress (R-AZ)
P.S. This is about abuse of power. Liberal politicians that rely on union political donations are worried that fewer people are opting to join unions. So they’re taking away secret ballots in the hope that some workers will vote for unions out of fear. This sounds more like the mafia or the Soviet Union than the U.S.A. Please click here to make an online donation to Citizen Outreach Project.
Or send your check or money order to: Citizen Outreach Project, 5765-F Burke Center Parkway, #343, Burke, VA, 22015.
