News & Information
News

| News | Events | Michigan Manufacturing Week |
| Awards Programs | Manufacturing Info | Stimulus Package Resources |
| MMA in the News | MMA Articles | Contact MMA | Links |

NLRB Considers Electronic “Card Check”

7/15/2010

As reported on 7/15/10 in the National Association of Manufacturers publication NAM Capitol Briefing, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently published a request for information for “secure electronic voting services” that include electronic balloting devices. The NRLB is looking for solutions that support mail, telephone, web-based and/or on-site electronic voting. They have also indicated that it is interested in performing union representation elections through remote devices — which is much different from the current process of NLRB-supervised elections that typically take place at work sites through manual ballots.

With the jobs-killing Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) stalled in Congress, organized labor is turning to the Executive Branch and federal agencies such as the NLRB to implement the goals of the EFCA. The NAM is concerned that this effort could lead to an electronic version of “card check,” which is one of the primary components of the EFCA.

Employees working at small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in the U.S. have cause for alarm. Remote-access elections could expose workers to harassment because they would not allow for the proper levels of NLRB supervision and transparency that exist within the current election process. They may also shorten the timeframe allowed to contemplate the costs and benefits of electing labor unions to be their exclusive representative for purposes of collective bargaining.

The NAM sent a letter [pdf file] to the NLRB on 7/1/10 outlining manufacturers’ concerns with the move, which would strip away the necessary protections currently afforded to employees. Manufacturers will continue to oppose elements of organized labor’s agenda which threaten the interests of employers and employees alike.

Contact your representatives and urge them to oppose this effort. For more information, contact NAM Director of Employment and Labor Policy Keith Smith at ksmith@nam.org or 202-637-3045.

Back