Nearly Half of Union Elections Report Employer Lawlessness

WASHINGTON, DC—As part of an ongoing campaign to educate the public and broaden support for one of the most critical pieces of legislation facing America’s middle class—the Employee Free Choice Act—American Rights at Work is releasing a series of new research. This research series will expose the many flaws in our current labor law system that give corporations too much power, creating a disadvantage for workers, and will highlight solutions provided by the Employee Free Choice Act. It’s time that the public and our leaders receive an honest portrayal of the state of the American workplace and of this legislation.

As part of the initial launch of this series, American Rights at Work has issued the following two new research findings that affirm the critical need for labor law reform:

Out of Control: Employer Misconduct During Union Organizing Far Too Common

While anti-union interests claim the National Labor Relations Board election system protects the right to vote, the grim reality remains that our broken system denies the right for workers who petition for an election to vote in four out of 10 cases. Further, in 46 percent of NLRB-supervised union elections, workers report employer lawlessness both before and during the election. This new research exposes the hypocrisy of too many employers who manipulate the system to deny their workers a vote while holding it up as a fair process.

Half a Million and Counting

One of the major components of the Employee Free Choice Act levels the playing field for workers by giving them a free choice and a fair chance to form a union. The bill requires employers to honor workers’ choice to form unions though the majority sign-up process, which is optional under current law. In fact, since 2003, more than half a million Americans formed unions through majority sign-up, giving workers the ability to improve their standard of living. Although often critiqued by anti-union interests, these findings show that it is a fair and well-established method of organizing.

Over the weeks and months to come, American Rights at Work will continue to release new, original findings as part of the overall campaign until the bill is passed.

To view the reports, visit http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/publications/general/