Corporations Lose Love Of "Secret Ballot" After NLRB Proposal For Fair Union Elections

By Dave Johnson
June 22, 2011 - 1:07pm ET

The NLRB proposes streamlining union elections. Companies that were for secret ballots last year are now against it. Conservatives say removing barriers to elections "rams elections through" and " foist unions on workers" and that We, the People (government) shouldn't be allowed to tell companies what to do -- instead companies ("job-creators") should be telling us what to do.

Yesterday the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" proposing modest rule changes for union certification elections. These rules would strengthen a basic right for workers to vote. The new rules eliminate voting delays and modernize an outdated system, removing unfair obstacles so workers can vote on whether to form a union if they want to. These new rules would be a step in the right direction toward giving more workers a voice on the job, rebalancing our economy and rebuilding the middle class.