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By James Hansen

Oops!

The Rocky Mountain News left a vital fact out of its Jan. 20 lead editorial about House Bill 1072, “ ‘All union’ bill a blow to liberty.”

“In Colorado, once a bargaining unit has been established at a company by an employee vote, a special election is required if the union wants an ‘all union agreement’ in which every worker — union member or not — must pay dues,” according to the Rocky’s editorial.

Unfortunately, that is a half-truth and it is misleading.

What the Rocky and many of the Republican legislators who testified against the bill conveniently left out of their opposing arguments was the important fact that the special, or second election, only allows the union and management to negotiate for an all-union clause in the labor contract.

Under the Colorado Labor Peace Act, to become the collective bargaining agent for employees at a company, a union must first win an election — conducted by the National Labor Relations Board — by 50 percent (plus one) of all employees voting. Then, the union must win a second election by 75 percent of those voting, or 50 percent (plus one) of those eligible to vote, before it is allowed to negotiate with management for an all-union clause in the contract. With the exception of so-called right-to-work states, unions in all other states are permitted to negotiate for the all-union clause after the first election.

All HB 1072 does is eliminate the second election, which gives the unions the same rights, for example, that a politician exercises when he runs for election. It takes the government out of private sector negotiations, which should appeal to all conservatives, if they truly are conservatives. It allows for labor and management to negotiate the issue, that’s all. Some unions will successfully negotiate the clause into a contract; others will not.

The legislation does not require anyone to become a member of a union. It doesn’t mandate that anyone be fired if they don’t become a member. It doesn’t stipulate that dues money may be used for political purposes.

The last major changes in state and federal labor laws were passed about 50 years ago and are archaic. Since then, the business community has outspent organized labor in the political arena by more than 15 to 1. That kind of imbalance has ensured that political, legislative and judicial decisions have for many years favored employers to the detriment of their employees.

According to a University of Chicago study, corporations continually deny workers the freedom to decide for themselves whether to form unions to bargain for a better life. They routinely intimidate, harass, coerce and even fire workers who try to form unions and bargain for economic well-being. In fact, 30 percent of employers fire pro-union workers; 49 percent of employers threaten to close a worksite when workers try to unionize; 82 percent of employers hire union-busting consultants to fight organizing drives, and 91 percent of employers force employees to attend anti-union meetings one-on-one.

Labor’s opponents say unions are ruining the country. That’s laughable. With only 12 percent of the nation’s work force unionized, organized labor is armed with a peashooter. It is a sad commentary that so few American workers are guaranteed the measure of job security and

good wages, hours and working conditions that are provided by unions.

Perhaps it is their opponents who are the problem.

James Hansen is active in organized labor. He can be reached by e-mail at jayhans@aol.com.

READER COMMENTS

... And the more goods will cost!

Christopher is a dumb **s. I say put Colorado workers first, business interest second. And as far as paying $12 an hour to bag groceries, I say yes. Remember, the more workers make the more they pay in taxes and can spend on goods and services within their community.

It is a sad day when UNIONS do not recognize the damage they due to their country. Unions spend way to much time in politics and endorsing political canadatites. Unions have lost touch with reality, since when does a person deserve $12.00 or more an hour to bag groceries or watch a machine put a bolt on an automobile. Why do labor UNIONS insist a project can only be done in this amount of time, when non labor union people have proven it can be done in less. NO to UNIONS, their time has come and gone, UNIONS must adapt to the reality of the times. THANKS for the progress but realize the world has changed.

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