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Small Business supports Labor Law Reform and Employee Free Choice
The rampant abuses of scoflaw corporations would be curtailed with passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Big business opposes the EFCA because its penalties makes the wholesale abuse of law no longer cost effective. Small business simply doesn't have the size to use this unethical and illegal tactic to keep their labor rates artifically low. However, the National Federation of Independent Business, a lobbying group for small businesses, has mischaracterized the EFCA to members using the big business arguement against Employee Free Choice.
Editor,
As a small businessman, I greatly object to the way my lobbying group, the National Federation of Independent Business, http://www.nfib.org, has mischaracterized the Employee Free Choice Act to my fellow members. The typical member of the NFIB has only 5 employees, making a "secret ballot election" an impossiblility, due to the lack of anonymity. More relevant, most small business do not have sufficient interstate commerce to fall under Federal Labor regulations. However, the Employee Free Choice Act will encourage our scofflaw national competitors like Wal-Mart to heed the rights of employees to discuss wages and work conditions as a group. Unionization is rare for a small business, because adding a layer of bureaucracy between an employee and the owner makes little sense. For larger multinational corporations, where the owner may be thousands of faceless investors, and even the CEO cannot know each of his/her employees, having the employee represented by a group to represent their interests may make sense.
I support the reform of Labor Law because the laws of the United States must be upheld. Longtime American manufacturers already have firmly entrenched unions and would be little effected by the EFCA. But foreign manufacturers who open plants in the U.S. exploit the current weak penalties for violating Labor Law preventing formation of employee groups. Corporate boards are able to ignore individual employee-shareholders who object to outsized executive pay packages. Under the EFCA, employees could form a group to discuss working conditions and also pool their votes and initiate shareholder initiatives. Even without a labor contract, having an employee group in place to form morale committees, conduct surveys, get group discounts from local merchants, and act as a voice of the employee would be beneficial.
To be sure, Unions have their faults. Their membership has been in decline for decades, which to a small businessman shows that there is great customer dissatifaction with their product. This decline may also be due to a failure of their mission to organize employees to lobby and elect politicians that promote their interests. While National Unions support the Employee Free Choice Act, it actually will create competition for them from smaller employee-only unions. No longer will huge "war chests" be needed to fight a drawn out organizing drive against a scofflaw employer. National Unions will have to improve their effectivity and customer focus if they expect to survive once the Employee Free Choice Act passes.
While big business groups and many GOP lawmakers claim the EFCA harms industry, reform of labor law is long overdue. If these groups want to advocate for elimination of labor law to put longtime American manufacturers and small businesses on a level playing ground with scofflaw newcomers, then let them debate that issue. But as Americans, we cannot allow abuse of the the laws that make our country great. Please let your Senator know that you support a law abiding and equitable America, and support the Employee Free Choice Act.
Best regards,
John Rose, CEO
Liberty Cookies, Inc.
Member, National Federation of Independent Business
As a small businessman, I greatly object to the way my lobbying group, the National Federation of Independent Business, http://www.nfib.org, has mischaracterized the Employee Free Choice Act to my fellow members. The typical member of the NFIB has only 5 employees, making a "secret ballot election" an impossiblility, due to the lack of anonymity. More relevant, most small business do not have sufficient interstate commerce to fall under Federal Labor regulations. However, the Employee Free Choice Act will encourage our scofflaw national competitors like Wal-Mart to heed the rights of employees to discuss wages and work conditions as a group. Unionization is rare for a small business, because adding a layer of bureaucracy between an employee and the owner makes little sense. For larger multinational corporations, where the owner may be thousands of faceless investors, and even the CEO cannot know each of his/her employees, having the employee represented by a group to represent their interests may make sense.
I support the reform of Labor Law because the laws of the United States must be upheld. Longtime American manufacturers already have firmly entrenched unions and would be little effected by the EFCA. But foreign manufacturers who open plants in the U.S. exploit the current weak penalties for violating Labor Law preventing formation of employee groups. Corporate boards are able to ignore individual employee-shareholders who object to outsized executive pay packages. Under the EFCA, employees could form a group to discuss working conditions and also pool their votes and initiate shareholder initiatives. Even without a labor contract, having an employee group in place to form morale committees, conduct surveys, get group discounts from local merchants, and act as a voice of the employee would be beneficial.
To be sure, Unions have their faults. Their membership has been in decline for decades, which to a small businessman shows that there is great customer dissatifaction with their product. This decline may also be due to a failure of their mission to organize employees to lobby and elect politicians that promote their interests. While National Unions support the Employee Free Choice Act, it actually will create competition for them from smaller employee-only unions. No longer will huge "war chests" be needed to fight a drawn out organizing drive against a scofflaw employer. National Unions will have to improve their effectivity and customer focus if they expect to survive once the Employee Free Choice Act passes.
While big business groups and many GOP lawmakers claim the EFCA harms industry, reform of labor law is long overdue. If these groups want to advocate for elimination of labor law to put longtime American manufacturers and small businesses on a level playing ground with scofflaw newcomers, then let them debate that issue. But as Americans, we cannot allow abuse of the the laws that make our country great. Please let your Senator know that you support a law abiding and equitable America, and support the Employee Free Choice Act.
Best regards,
John Rose, CEO
Liberty Cookies, Inc.
Member, National Federation of Independent Business
For more information:
http://www.libertycookies.com
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"Schoflas" simply means to scoff at, thumb your nose at, give them the f_____ ! Small businesses, which almost all are members of the NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS, use every loophole your accountants, union busters, local politicians, and unemployment agencies find to keep us scared, poor, trapped and helpless while you put $$$$$ in your pockets.
Why do we wear cheap uniforms and worn sneakers while you visit us dressed in a clean, ironed shirt & pants and driving a Lexus?
So John, your the "good guy" NFIB picks to show all small businesses aren't bad. Well, we've all watched enough CSI to understand "GOOD COP-BAD COP", they're both after the same thing--THE TRUTH. The truth is: the National Federation of Independent Business OPPOSES THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT!.