Senate Blocks Passage of Employee Free Choice Act of 2007
Earlier today the Senate essentially thwarted the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007 (the "Act") with a final vote of 51 – 48 against moving the Act to the Senate floor for debate (60 votes were needed to ensure that the Act could overcome a threatened filibuster by Republican senators).
As discussed in a previous entry on this blog, the Act – which was largely opposed by business organizations and employers – had three major components: The first would have outlawed secret ballot elections by employees who were deciding whether or not to be represented by a labor union, instead allowing unions to obtain signed authorization cards from employees through which they could simply agree to labor representation. The Act would also have instituted new mediation and arbitration processes for first-contract disputes. Additionally, the Act would have increased penalties against employers for various labor law violations, requiring payment of three times the amount of wages lost by employees and imposing civil fines of up to $20,000 per violation.
For specific questions regarding the implications of the Senate's vote, please contact us directly.