Just say "No"

To Card Check.

Governor Romney wrote an op-ed for The Washington Times called "Cautionary Tale of Card Check." In it, he shares his experience as the Governor of Massachusetts in vetoing a piece of card check legislation, only to have it reintroduced after he left office and signed into law by the next governor.

Since that time, Romney points out some (unintended?) consequences of allowing the legislation. The two paragraphs from his op-ed that struck me the most were these:

Conservatives like me are opposed to card check, but not to unions. At their best, labor unions have always fought for the rights of workers, and generations of Americans have been better off for it. But the card-check proposal is not an example of unions at their best - it is a case of union organizers rewriting the rules at the expense of working people.

Its advocates claim that card check is a step forward for labor, as if workers should thank them for making unions less democratic. But anyone who would deny a worker's right to vote on unionization by secret ballot is not advancing the cause of labor. They are just expanding the power of labor bosses. No one should be forced to publicly declare their intention before their employers and co-workers.

First, I thought it was interesting that "conservatives like [him]" aren't opposed to unions. Discussions usually seem pretty polar: the liberals push for more union power and rail against "the man" who's keeping the workers down and getting rich of of them, and the conservatives who rail against the pernicious unions and how they're destroying the very fabric of free markets.

Recognizing the value unions have, and do, provide for workers is great from a rhetorical standpoint, it also helps level out the discussion and, I feel, puts him in a better position. For, unions are good - they helped get workers decent pay, better working conditions, and other things. And I think conservatives should remember this more often.

But, I also agree with the idea that suggests that unions should be "localized" to one company, not across an industry. I think this industry-wide unionization has not helped workers, or the economy, in the long run. See the automakers for some case studies on this. But I digress.

It seems strange that the unions want to "give more" to workers by "taking away" a liberty I think we take for granted: the secret ballot.

Romney continues:

Leaders in the Democratic Party are eager to pay back the union bosses for their campaign support, even if it means selling out the American worker. Responsible members of Congress need to make it clear that Washington will not act to virtually impose unions on businesses. It is undemocratic, and it would devastate business formation and employment, worsening the present economic crisis.

By guarding against coercion and intimidation in the workplace, we can protect our economy from great harm, and secure the rights of employers and employees alike. The working people of America should be able to unionize the way their fathers and mothers did - by free choice and secret ballot.

There you have it. Just say "No" to card check. And tell your Senator and Congressman to do the same.

In recent news, Senator Specter stands up and in "a blow to card check" says he will vote to block the card check legislation.