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June 26, 2007

U.S. Senate Rejects S1041/HR800 - "Card Check" Bill

The Employee Free Choice Act (S1041/HR800) today failed to attract the necessary 60 votes in the U.S. Senate to be brought up for consideration. In a procedural vote, the bill garnered only 51 votes. Illinois Senators Dick Durbin (D) and Barack Obama (D) voted to move the bill forward. We thank members who responded to our advocacy alert and shared the hospital community's concerns about the bill with our Senators.

Despite the threat of a Presidential veto, the "card check" bill passed the House on March 1 by a wide margin. The bill, if signed, would amend the National Labor Relations Act to require employers to recognize unions exclusively through the "card check" process. As you know, this mechanism enables unions to organize in various facilities, including hospitals, by avoiding secret ballot elections in which employees can make decisions free from interference. While it is possible that this bill could re-emerge, the fact that the bill failed in the Senate, along with the White House veto threat, makes it unlikely it will reappear this year.

Background:
Under the "card check" process approach called for in S1041/HR800, union authorization cards are signed in the presence of an interested party – namely a union organizer or a pro-union co-worker. The cards are then presented as representing the true intent of the workers.

This bill runs counter to the principle of free and fair elections and the ability of workers to cast a private ballot, without outside pressures or influence. The secret ballot is the foundation of the modern democratic process, guaranteeing the freedom to vote according to one’s true beliefs without fear of retribution. It is a core element of every democracy, recognized and respected world wide – our workers deserve no less.

Hospitals honor and support the work of our hospital caregivers and believe they deserve all protections possible, including the right to make a decision to unionize in privacy.