In today’s edition, the editors of the Rocky Mountain News challenge Colorado’s junior U.S. Senator with the question: Who are you going to put first – the rights of Colorado workers or the interests of labor bosses? The poorly-named Employee Free Choice Act, which already passed the U.S. House, would rob employees of a secret ballot in workplace organizing elections. It would rig the process in favor of union officials.
America is great because workers have the right to volunteer to join and pay dues to a union. But equally respected should be the right of workers NOT to join and pay dues or fees to a union. The Democrat-sponsored legislation does not respect that right. It uses the excuse of declining union membership to justify giving the power of greater coercion to union officials, rather than affording them a chance to become more accountable to their individual members and to adapt their organizations to 21st century realities.
Currently, Democrat Ken Salazar says he sides with workers, at least insofar as he does not want to vote to shut off debate on the so-called Employee Free Choice Act. With pressure raining down from high-powered partisan lobbies in Washington, Coloradans cannot take his support for granted. The Senate needs to put this bad legislation to bed, and we should hope to see Salazar on the right side of the issue.
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