The members of the American Pipeline Contractors Association (APCA) strongly believe in (1) the freedom of workers to choose whether to work for union or nonunion contractors without intimidation, and (2) free enterprise for business. Accordingly, it strongly opposes the legislation misnamed as the “Employee Free Choice Act”, recently reintroduced in the U.S. Congress (March 10, 2009) as H.R. 1409 and S. 560. This law would effectively eliminate the secret ballot election process from the union organizing process by favoring a process called “card check”, would impose mandatory arbitration awards on employers and employees as the most likely method of determining collective bargaining terms in a first contract for at least two years, and would impose onerous penalties on employers for unfair labor practices committed during organizing campaigns or before a first contract is reached.
None of the above proposed radical changes to well-established labor law, alone, or in combination, will bring about positive change for American workers or employers. The legislation poses not only an assault on an individual’s right to privacy, but a direct threat to economic growth and job creation. A recently released study indicates that the increased unionization likely to result from passage of EFCA would likely result in the loss of over 600,000 jobs in America. At this time of great economic uncertainty, Congress should not enact any legislation that threatens our economic competiveness, including the Employee Free Choice Act.
Members of the APCA encourage all employees and businesses who care about the right to work, free employee choice on union representation or membership without coercion or intimidation, and free enterprise as the best way to keep America competitive, to get in touch with their elected members of Congress now, urging them to oppose this dangerous legislation.
The Employee Free Choice Act is bad for employees, bad for business, and bad for America!
-The APCA Board of Directors
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