Wilson Statement on Democrat Card Check Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Remarks as Prepared
March 1, 2007

CONTACT: Kim Olive
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(202) 420-9493 (Cell)

Wilson Statement on Democrat Card Check Bill

Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02), member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, today delivered the following statement on the floor of the House of Representatives regarding the Democrat proposal to strip workers of their secret ballot rights:

“Madame Speaker, I rise today in support of Ranking Member Buck McKeon’s alternative to the so-called ’Employee Free Choice Act.’ Mr. McKeon’s substitute, originally championed by the late Congressman Charlie Norwood, guarantees employees the right to hold secret ballot elections when deciding whether to form a union and prohibits the implementation of a coercive card check authorization.

“Just as American voters are free to elect their public officials in secrecy, so should American workers be free to vote for or against union representation. While no one would approve of exposing voters to public ridicule or intimidation at the voting booth, this is exactly what proponents of the Democrat Card Check bill are seeking to force upon American workers. Several of our colleagues wrote to Mexican officials in 2001 urging the sanctity of secret ballot elections be upheld. Specifically, they penned, ’We feel that the secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order to ensure workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they may otherwise not choose.’

“Evidence suggests that under card check agreements, employees are likely to be coerced or misled, often being falsely told the forms are non-binding ’statements of interest,’ requests for an election, or even benefit forms or administrative paperwork. The McKeon alternative will ensure workers are not left vulnerable to this type of arm-twisting.

“A poll will be released today by the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace demonstrating that 87 percent of Americans believe workers should have the right to a secret ballot. In fact, 79 percent oppose the ill-named ’Employee Free Choice Act.’

“I urge my colleagues to join with me in supporting the wishes of the majority of Americans and voting in favor of Ranking Member McKeon’s alternative. I yield the balance of my time.”

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