Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
CardCheck Bill Aims to Level Playing Field
Recognizing that workers are under assault by political and corporate forces, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has introduced a bill that would require employers to recognize cardcheck organizing, while barring captive audience meetings and other anti-union activities.
The Employee Right to Choose Act (S.1513) would also set a 180-day deadline for negotiating a first contract, to put a stop to employers' delaying tactics. If the deadline passes, federal mediators and, if necessary, third-party arbitrators would become involved.
"With the economy in the tank and incomes of average Americans stagnant, workers need unions like never before," Schumer said, quoted in the New York Times. He noted that 32 percent of the workforce is organized in Canada, where cardcheck is law in many areas, compared with 13 percent in the United States.
The cardcheck provision of the bill would replace the current union election system. If more than 50 percent of employees in a work unit sign authorization cards, the National Labor Relations Board would certify the union.
Schumer said the rights to organize and bargain collectively "are the cornerstones of American democracy. They have been the twin springboards for unparalleled progress, enabling American workers to earn a fair wage, obtain health care, work a reasonable number of hours each week and achieve dignity in the workplace."
But he said too many workers aren't joining unions -- not because they don't want to, but because "our nation's method of labor organization is a biased playing field full of loopholes that unfairly advantage employers."
The Employee Right to Choose Act (S.1513) would also set a 180-day deadline for negotiating a first contract, to put a stop to employers' delaying tactics. If the deadline passes, federal mediators and, if necessary, third-party arbitrators would become involved.
"With the economy in the tank and incomes of average Americans stagnant, workers need unions like never before," Schumer said, quoted in the New York Times. He noted that 32 percent of the workforce is organized in Canada, where cardcheck is law in many areas, compared with 13 percent in the United States.
The cardcheck provision of the bill would replace the current union election system. If more than 50 percent of employees in a work unit sign authorization cards, the National Labor Relations Board would certify the union.
Schumer said the rights to organize and bargain collectively "are the cornerstones of American democracy. They have been the twin springboards for unparalleled progress, enabling American workers to earn a fair wage, obtain health care, work a reasonable number of hours each week and achieve dignity in the workplace."
But he said too many workers aren't joining unions -- not because they don't want to, but because "our nation's method of labor organization is a biased playing field full of loopholes that unfairly advantage employers."