House Approves “CARD CHECK” Legislation

The U.S. House of Representatives March 1 voted 241-185 in favor of the “Employee Free Choice Act” (H.R. 800), a bill that would eliminate the workplace right of employees to a private election when deciding whether to join a union.

The measure would replace private, secret-ballot elections—the preferred and statutorily provided method for determining whether employees want a union to represent them—with a “card check” system. Under the “card check” process, employees would indicate their choice of whether to join a union by signing a card in front of their co-workers, employers and union organizers.

The bill is expected to meet with increased opposition in the U.S. Senate, where Republican lawmakers have pledged to filibuster the measure. Additionally, Vice President Richard B. Cheney stated in remarks before the National Association of Manufacturers earlier this month that “if [H.R. 800] is sent to the president, he will veto the bill.”