The main argument unions make to support the Employee Free Choice Act is that the current system makes it nearly impossible for unions to organize new members. The latest BLS numbers were released yesterday and they prove, once again, that unions are doing just fine without a “bailout” from the EFCA.
Unions added nearly a half-million members last year (in a year when the economy got killed and millions lost jobs). Union membership has increased in each of the last 3 years. Unions are winning NLRB elections at about the same rate they did in the 1970s when their membership levels were near their peak – some of the most outspoken supporters of EFCA like the SEIU winning nearly 3 out of 4 of their elections.
The bottom line: Unions don’t need the employee free choice act. The main arguments in favor of EFCA are not borne out by the facts – employer intimidation during campaigns has not prevented unions from organizing new members. To the contrary, unions are doing a great job of it. While unions don’t need it, they do want the employee free choice act – it’s a bailout, pure and simple.
