Sending an SOS to Save Our Secret Ballot
Written by on June 09, 2011, 06:08 PM
Thanks to the secret ballot process, all of our other key American rights are protected.
Without secret ballots, we would lose:
A few years ago, several of Congress' most liberal members wrote Mexico's government, "We understand that the secret ballot is allowed for, but not required, by Mexican labor law. However, we feel that the secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they might not otherwise choose."
Those same members of Congress then reversed course when American labor union bosses decided to end similar protections for American workers. Why? Because fewer U.S. employees now join unions, those who profit handsomely from union dues want to pressure them into joining. Secret ballots stand in their way.
In 2007, by a 241-185 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to let labor unions bypass the secret ballot process. The measure stalled in the U.S. Senate, but new Senators may push it through soon, and President Barack Obama has pledged to sign this outrageous measure.
There is an option: We can use state laws and state constitutions to create protection for secret ballots even if the federal government refuses to guarantee this right. We benefit from the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, who created a federal system so that states can protect rights even if the national government does not.
We need you in this effort. Keep informed through this website, and we will help as you become involved and make a positive difference.
Let's protect our secret ballots, the key to so many of our freedoms!
Without secret ballots, we would lose:
- Freedom from intimidation
- Freedom of choice
- Freedom of conscience
A few years ago, several of Congress' most liberal members wrote Mexico's government, "We understand that the secret ballot is allowed for, but not required, by Mexican labor law. However, we feel that the secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they might not otherwise choose."
Those same members of Congress then reversed course when American labor union bosses decided to end similar protections for American workers. Why? Because fewer U.S. employees now join unions, those who profit handsomely from union dues want to pressure them into joining. Secret ballots stand in their way.
In 2007, by a 241-185 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to let labor unions bypass the secret ballot process. The measure stalled in the U.S. Senate, but new Senators may push it through soon, and President Barack Obama has pledged to sign this outrageous measure.
There is an option: We can use state laws and state constitutions to create protection for secret ballots even if the federal government refuses to guarantee this right. We benefit from the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, who created a federal system so that states can protect rights even if the national government does not.
We need you in this effort. Keep informed through this website, and we will help as you become involved and make a positive difference.
Let's protect our secret ballots, the key to so many of our freedoms!
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