Citizens in Charge

Nothing is creating more heat in the nation’s capitol than the battle over “The Employee Free Choice Act,” (EFCA) popularly known as “card check.”

This proposal has mass support from union leaders as it makes it easier to unionize workers. EFCA replaces the current system of a federally supervised secret ballot election with a card given to workers to opt-in for unionization. Critics are calling  foul, as the proposal does away with a workers right to a secret ballot.

A group called Save Our Secret Ballot, Inc (SOS Ballot), a 501 c 4 organization, headed by Tim Mooney, has found a away to protect the right to a secret ballot using the  statewide citizen ballot initiative process and also working through state legislatures.

Understanding the politics of Washington D.C., SOS Ballot is focused on finding solutions on a local level by placing constitutional amendments to protect secret ballot voting rights before voters in various states . The  language shall read:

“The right of individuals to vote by secret ballot is fundamental. Where state or federal law requires elections for public office or public votes on initiatives or referenda, or designations or authorizations of employee representation, the right of individuals to vote by secret ballot shall be guaranteed.”

Paul Jacob, President of Citizens in Charge Foundation, currently serves on the National Advisory Board of the SOS Ballot. For decades he has been a champion of citizen-led reform and legislation that empowers the voter. SOS Ballot takes a new approach to Washington D.C.’s inability to work together. By placing the language on the ballot of every state, it provides the average American citizen the power to choose for themselves, without the same pressures of special interests, be it big government of the big unions, placed on politicians.

Using the initiative and referendum (I&R) process, SOS Ballot and its supporters believe they can be successful in protecting these voting rights. They believe that “a voter’s right to a secret ballot is an essential and fundamental principle in our society and offers opportunities for broader voter participation. Without the ability to vote secretly, individual political freedom will decline and be subject to threats and intimidation by those who want voters to pursue a specific course of action or ideology.”

Union leaders don’t agree with SOS Ballot’s philosophy. Yesterday in a press release issued by Teamsters President Jim Hoffa he stated “Since when is the secret ballot a basic tenet of democracy?” Similar comments were made by Utah’s AFL-CIO leaders , who recently called a secret ballot guarantee, “unnecessary and antidemocratic.”

Some say the real reason unions are pushing card check is their dwindling numbers. If the workers organize, the union will collect 1 to 2 percent of their wages in dues. According to Worker Freedom in the early 1970’s a quarter of the workforce was unionized. Currently that number is down to 12% of the overall workforce and only  7% of the private sector workforce .

Yet, many unions continue  to contend that  EFCA is “vital legislation” that would ensure workers have a free choice and a fair chance to form a union.

Across the country, states are taking action. The Utah Governor, Jon Huntsman, publically endorses the SOS Ballot proposal and asked the state legislature to take action (House Joint Resolution 8).

He stated: “This constitutional amendment would ensure that individuals will be constitutionally guaranteed the right to a secret ballot for these types of important elections. This issue is fundamental to our economic development efforts as a State and safeguards our State’s long tradition of being a ‘right to work’ state – a position that is grounded in individual rights and freedoms.”

“I urge the Utah State Legislature to vote in favor of this proposed constitutional amendment as away to give the power to the people of Utah to vote this amendment up or down in the next general election,” said the Governor.