Why are Democrats opposed to secret ballots?

The ability to vote in secret, free from intimidation, is an essential part of a functioning democracy. But the Democrats and their union overlords now want to get rid of secret ballots for workers deciding whether or not they want to unionize. The provisions for a secret ballot election have been in place since the Great Depression when unions won protection for organizing. But membership in unions has been declining and so unions now want to get rid of such protections for secret ballots and instead allow union representatives to intimidate workers into signing a card in public calling for elections. You might wonder why this has become the must-do legislation for the unions and the Wall Street Journal obliges and explains.

Under current rules, once 30% of employees at a workplace express interest in unionizing by signing an authorization card, organizers can go to management and demand voluntary "card-check" recognition. The employer then has the option of recognizing the union or demanding an election.
It shouldn't be surprising that many workers who sign these cards later have second thoughts after getting the employer's side of the story. Workers sign cards for all kinds of reasons, including peer pressure and intimidation. It's not uncommon for an organizer to approach an employer with cards that show 90% of the workforce wants to unionize, only to have the percentage plummet once employees hear about the downside of a union shop and have a chance to vote by secret ballot. So Big Labor wants to dispense with these petty elections and make union recognition mandatory as soon as a simple majority of workers sign a card.

Notably, nearly every American business group is united in opposing this affront to worker freedom. They understand this will make organizing that much easier, thus making their own businesses that much less competitive. One business response would surely be to hire fewer workers--the opposite of what the unions claim to want.

The defense from the unions is that employees get all confused when their employers explain to them how unionizing will hurt their business and perhaps lead to layoffs. Can't have the other side presenting their arguments, can we? Much better to use peer pressure to get what you want.

There is little likelihood that this bill will become a law. Even if it gets through the promised Republican filibuster in the Senate, President Bush promises to veto the bill. Prepare to hear lots of paeans of praise to the inviolability of secret ballots as Republicans defend their filibuster and the expected veto. But remember, a Democratic president in 2009 would be quite happy to sign away such protections for a democracy unimpeded by intimidation of union supporters. And then expect to see the rest of American industry and business face the same problems that the American automobile industry is now facing as they struggle to compete while weighed down by killer union contracts.