|
Published:
Coalition for a Democratic Workplace Releases Findings from New Statewide PollsWASHINGTON, July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- As Election Day nears, new research shows troubling signs for candidates who support the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act - or union "card check" legislation. The surveys conducted in the battleground states ofLouisiana,New Hampshire andNew Mexico are consistent with nationwide voter sentiment and with polls taken earlier this year in other states. The research also sheds additional light on the disparity between union workers around the country and union bosses inWashington regarding the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). Faced with declining union membership, labor leaders have aggressively sought passage of the EFCA. Under the EFCA, workers would effectively lose their right to a private ballot when deciding whether to join a union. The private ballot would be replaced with a "card-check" scheme where a union is automatically recognized if a majority of workers simply sign a card; the workers' signatures are made public to their employer, the union organizers and their co-workers. "It's clear there's a disconnect between the labor bosses inWashington,
DC who are lobbying to effectively remove private ballots for workers, and
rank and file union members who overwhelmingly support keeping their vote
private when deciding whether or not to join a union," said Highlights from the surveys include: -- Two-thirds ofLouisiana voters (67%), seven in tenNew Hampshire voters (71%), and nearly eight in tenNew Mexico voters (78%) agree that secret ballot elections are the cornerstone of democracy and should be kept for union elections. Agreement with this statement increases among union households to 78% inLouisiana, 75% inNew Hampshire and 87% inNew Mexico. -- At least seven in ten voters inLouisiana (71%),New Hampshire (73%) andNew Mexico (77%) say that having a federally supervised secret ballot election is the best way to protect workers' rights when organizing a union. Among union households, this sentiment increases to 80% inLouisiana, 81% in New Hampshire and remains consistently high inNew Mexico (78%). -- The majority of voters inLouisiana (63%), two-thirds ofNew Hampshire voters (68%), and seven in tenNew Mexico voters (72%) oppose Congress' "Employee Free Choice Act". Among union households, opposition to the legislation increases to 68% inLouisiana and to 76% inNew Mexico.Union household opposition to the EFCA inNew Hampshire remains consistently high at 69%. -- A plurality of voters inLouisiana would be less likely to vote for
More information about each statewide poll is attached and can also be found at www.MyPrivateBallot.com. Methodology: McLaughlin & Associates conducted statewide surveys among general election voters inLouisiana (n=400),New Hampshire (n=300) andNew Mexico (n=400) on July 8th through 10th, 2008. All interviews were conducted by professional interviewers via telephone. Interview selection was at random within predetermined election units. These units were structured to statistically correlate with actual voter distributions in statewide general elections. The accuracy of the sample of 300 likely general election voters is within +/- 5.7% at a 95% confidence interval. The accuracy of the samples of 400 likely general election voters is within +/- 4.9% at a 95% confidence interval. About the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace is made up of more than 500 associations and organizations from every state across the nation that have joined together to protect a worker's right to a private ballot when deciding whether to join a union. For more information and a listing of our membership, please visit www.MyPrivateBallot.com. Voters Want to Protect a Worker's Right to a Secret Ballot Election The issue of protecting a worker's right to a secret ballot could be a liability to Democratic candidates who support the unions' position. Voters in Louisiana,New Hampshire andNew Mexico favor federally supervised secret ballot elections over a process where the majority of workers simply sign a card and workers' signatures are made public to their employers, union organizers and co-workers. In fact, the overwhelming majority of voters agrees that secret ballots are the cornerstone of democracy and should be kept for union elections. The majority of voters opposes a bill in Congress called the "Employee Free Choice Act" which would replace federally supervised secret ballot elections with a process that requires the majority of workers to simply sign a card to authorize organizing a union. More specifically, seven in ten voters inLouisiana (71%),New Hampshire (73%) andNew Mexico (77%) say having a federally supervised secret ballot election is the best way to protect workers' rights when organizing a union. This sentiment increases among union households inLouisiana (80%) andNew Hampshire (81%). If an election were held to decide whether workers would organize a union, which one of the following types of elections is the best way to protect the individual rights of workers? Having a process where a union is organized if a majority of workers simply sign a card and the workers' signatures are made public to their employer, the union organizers and their co-workers. OR, Having a federally supervised secret ballot election where workers privately vote yes or no on whether to authorize union representation.
Non- Non- Non-
LA Union Union NH Union Union NM Union Union
Total HH HH Total HH HH Total HH HH
Sign
Card 16 10 16 13 14 14 9 15 8
Secret
Ballot 71 80 69 73 81 73 77 78 80
More than two thirds of voters inLouisiana (67%),New Hampshire (71%) and New Mexico (78%) agree that secret ballot elections are the cornerstone of democracy and should be kept for union elections. Agreement with this statement increases among union households (78% LA / 75% NH / 87% NM). Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with the following statement? "Secret ballot elections are the cornerstone of democracy and should be kept for union elections."
Non- Non- Non-
LA Union Union NH Union Union NM Union Union
Total HH HH Total HH HH Total HH HH
Agree 67 78 64 71 75 71 78 87 78
Disagree 20 15 21 18 17 19 14 7 15
The majority of voters inLouisiana (63%),New Hampshire (68%) andNew Mexico (72%) opposes Congress's "Employee Free Choice Act", which would replace a federally supervised secret ballot process with one that requires a majority of workers to simply sign a card to authorize a union. Opposition increases among union households inLouisiana (68%) andNew Mexico (76%). There is a bill in Congress called the Employee Free Choice Act which would replace a federally supervised secret ballot election with a process that requires a majority of workers to simply sign a card to authorize organizing a union and the workers' signatures would be made public to their employer, the union organizers and their co-workers. Do you support or oppose Congress
passing this legislation?
Non- Non- Non-
LA Union Union NH Union Union NM Union Union
Total HH HH Total HH HH Total HH HH
Support 22 26 20 18 29 16 16 20 15
Oppose 63 68 62 68 69 69 72 76 72
Voters Are Less Likely to Support Pro-Card Check Candidates
Voters inLouisiana,New Hampshire andNew Mexico would be less likely to
vote for a candidate for U.S. Senate who supports legislation to replace a
secret ballot system with a card check system. A plurality of voters would be
less likely to vote for Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for to take away a worker's right to have a federally supervised secret ballot election when deciding whether to organize a union and replace that secret ballot system with a card check system that would make public how each worker voted to both union leaders and his or her employer? If it would make no
difference, just say so.
Non- Non- Non-
LA Union Union NH Union Union NM Union Union
Total HH HH Total HH HH Total HH HH
More
Likely 14 22 12 13 17 11 11 33 7
Less
Likely 45 44 46 46 50 47 44 35 47
No
Differ-
ence 31 26 32 33 23 36 36 24 38
Methodology: McLaughlin & Associates conducted statewide surveys of general election voters inLouisiana (N=400),New Hampshire (N=300) andNew Mexico (N=400) between July 8th and 10th, 2008. All interviews were conducted by professional interviewers via telephone. Interview selection was at random within predetermined election units. These units were structured to statistically correlate with actual voter distributions in statewide general elections. The accuracy of the samples of 400 likely general election voters is within +/- 4.9% at a 95% confidence interval. The accuracy of the sample of 300 likely general election voters is within +/- 5.7% at a 95% confidence
interval.
SOURCE Coalition for a Democratic Workplace Tags: Politics, Republicans and Democrats, district of columbia _ _    Is your favorite bookmark site missing? Ask for it. |
|
