Agenda Package - 03-02-09 - Laserfiche WebLink

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G1:5 • RESOLUTION Urging the Congress of the United States to oppose any efforts to adopt the so-called "Employee Free Choice Act"; and for other purposes WHEREAS, recent actions by special labor interests have been trying to force through Congress a new law that could change the American workplace, and strip workers of the sacred right to a secret ballot in union organization, and WHEREAS, current law allows companies to petition for a federally supervised secret ballot election on whether to have a union in their workplace allowing employers and union workers to make their case to employees; and WHEREAS, under the current system the worker could cast their ballot for or against a union in private, and WHEREAS, under the "Employee Free Choice Act," union bosses want to get rid of the secret ballot and instead install a union if a majority of workers can be pressured into signing authorization cards; and WHEREAS, if pressured into signing authorization cards-and no secret ballot to protect them-the employees can be required to have dues extracted from their • paychecks; and WHEREAS, business owners would be kept intentionally uninformed of union organizing drives and would have severe restrictions and huge new penalties imposed if they chose to speak out regarding these efforts, and WHEREAS, if union organizers convince a majority of employees to sign cards, business owners have 120 days to agree to a contract (90 days plus 30 days mediation); and WHEREAS, if an agreement is not reached, a business owner enters binding arbitration where a federal arbiter will dictate the terms of their new labor contract; and WHEREAS, this could have a negative affect on the small business employers in our county and our fragile economy; and WHEREAS, the 28`h National Convention of the Communist Party, USA unanimously endorsed the "Employee Free Choice Act', and WHEREAS, it is felt the passage of this legislation would prove detrimental to the overall integrity of the American workplace. • NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS that the members of Congress are urged to oppose any efforts to