What is the Employee Free Choice Act?

The Employee Free Choice Act is a proposed federal law that would change how union representation is established in the United States. Currently, when a union wants to represent a group of employees, the employer and union must go through a process called “secret ballot” election. This requires the union to collect signatures from a majority of the employees in order to hold an election. Under the proposed Employee Free Choice Act, if a union collects signatures from at least 50 percent of the employees in the group, it would be automatically recognized as the group’s collective bargaining representative. The employer would then be legally obligated to enter into negotiations with the union for the purpose of establishing a collective bargaining agreement. Currently, the Employee Free Choice Act has not been ratified in Virginia. The proposal has been met with resistance from employers and many Virginia state legislators. Opponents of the bill say that it takes away the right of workers to vote on union representation, thus potentially limiting the ability of workers to make informed decisions on their own. Supporters of the legislation say that it is needed in order to protect the rights of workers and ensure that employers recognize the collective voice of their employees.

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What is the Employee Free Choice Act?

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