As you may have heard earlier today Senator Specter (R-PA) announced he would not support the Employee Free Choice Act, and many feel that this decision could doom any hopes of passage. As I’ve reviewed the debate over the subject I sometimes found myself a bit confused at the attitudes of some of the more fervent supporters, who do not seem to understand how anyone can oppose the proposal.

As I’ve written before I have concerns about the idea of eliminating secret ballot elections in place of card check. Those who support the proposal talk about how the proposal does not eliminate the option of elections but as I read the legislation it does.

While it is true that there is a provision of the current law that says an election can be held if 1/3 of the employees want it, the new law clearly states that if a majority sign up under the card check provision that ‘no election shall be held’. It seems to me that this does pretty much eliminate secret elections. The card check on the other hand is a public process where the union advocates will know who has and has not signed up and thus would be able to bring peer pressure (and sadly sometimes less delicate methods) to pressure people into signing.

In pondering this problem I came to understand what I think is the problem for some on the left with regard to EFCA and the issues I have. Like many things I see this from something of a middle ground. I recognize that there are many people who want to join a union but I also recognize that there are some who do not.

I recognize that most union members are good, decent hard working people who want to better themselves, but I also recognize that some members and sadly some of the leadership is corrupt and willing to use whatever intimidation methods needed to get what they want.

The same is true of the employer, some are good people who will do what is right for the employee and some are corrupt who will do anything for a buck. It is because of these bad apples that we need unions but it is because of the potential corruption in unions that we need things like the secret ballot.

However I think for some on the left (certainly not all, there are many very wise and honorable people on all sides of the debate) that there is an assumption that most employers are bad and thus require the union but that unions are never, or at least seldom wrong. Here is where I think I part with the left.

Obviously the same could be said in different circumstances with regard to the right, as some on that side are equally hard line on things.