Republicans Strike Back
On February 25, Republicans submitted the Secret Ballot Protection Act (H.R. 1176) to the House floor. The Secret Ballot Protection Act is a direct response to the Employee Free Choice Act. The Republicans' counter would ensure that secret ballot elections are conducted by the National Labor Relations Board to determine whether employees wish to be represented by a union. As the Republicans' stated, thier proposal is the only method that ensures a choice free of coercion, intimidation, irregluarity or illegality.
Many have asked me when Congress will take action on the Employee Free Choice Act and what is the likely outcome. Prior to the Republicans' pre-emptive strike with H.R. 1176, I thought that the Obama Administration might place the Employee Free Choice Act on the backburner--especially in light of the stimulus packages taking priority. Now that H.R. 1176 is in the mix, Congress may have to take on the private sector labor reform earlier than anticipated.
Only time will tell . . .
