Adding to the series of shaming public denouncements — though union bosses apparently lack any sense of shame — a Chicago Tribune editorial this morning weighed in against the so-called Employee Free Choice Act. The bill would essentially do away with secret ballot elections for employees deciding whether to join a union. Instead, it would institute “card check,” which is open to intimidation, harassment, and misinformation.
Of course, union bosses claim that they need to burn the current labor-law system in order to save it from its flaws. But, as the Tribune notes:
Just to be clear, the paper also takes union leaders to task for their own record of failure – the real reason union membership numbers are down so drastically:
There are reasons why only 7 percent of private-sector workers now belong to unions, down from 35 percent half a century ago. Union wages and work rules can make a company uncompetitive, as big automakers and big steelmakers have shown. Many workers realize that the embrace of the AFL-CIO is cold comfort if your employer moves production overseas, which a union’s arrival may make more likely.