NAM commends Senator Specter for stand against card check.
Press Release Summary:
NAM supports Senator Arlen Specter's decision to vote against cloture on Employee Free Choice Act. According to NAM President, John Engler, EFCA is a flawed piece of legislation that will destroy jobs and prolong current economic recession. Card check would deprive American workers of their right to secret ballot when deciding whether they want union representation, replacing it with system that would expose employees to intimidation and coercion.
Original Press Release:
NAM Commends Senator Specter for Stand Against Card Check
Engler Calls On Other Senators To Stand With Pennsylvania Lawmaker
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 24, 2009 -National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President John Engler today issued the following statement in response to the announcement by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) that he will not vote for cloture on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), also known as "card check":
I am very pleased that Senator Arlen Specter has decided to vote against cloture on the EFCA. EFCA is a flawed piece of legislation that will destroy jobs and prolong the current economic recession. Manufacturers stand behind Senator Specter's decision to vote against EFCA and appreciate his decision to put working men and women, the economy and the nation first.
Card check would deprive American workers of their most basic right to a secret ballot when deciding whether they want union representation, replacing it with a flawed system that would expose employees to intimidation and coercion. Perhaps even more onerous is the provision to empower federal arbitrators to dictate contract terms -undermining the voluntary collective bargaining process between unions and management. Card check is a power grab by unions that would upend generations of established labor relations and set the stage for a massive expansion of union influence. It would destroy jobs and make our country less competitive.
The unions claim that card check would cause their ranks to grow by 1.5 million members a year. A study by the Law and Economics Consulting Group, a non-partisan organization, concluded that 1.5 million new union members would lead to a loss of 600,000 jobs the following year.
Manufacturers commend Senator Specter and will continue to urge all lawmakers to put workers first and oppose any vote on EFCA, procedural or otherwise. Every Senator who shares our goals of economic recovery, growth and job creation, as well as promoting fair and balanced labor laws, should vote against cloture on this measure.
The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation's largest industrial trade association, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAM has 11 additional offices across the country. Visit the NAM's web site at www.nam.org for more information about manufacturing and the economy.
CONTACTS: HANK COX (202) 637-3090
