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GUEST: James Brudney, Professor of Law at Ohio State University, Moritz School of Law

The United States Senate is currently discussing a labor bill that is being considered the most important piece of legislation by union officials this year. The bill, called the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), would streamline the process of unionization by instituting a card check system whereby employees interested in unionizing would simply need to sign a card stating so. Once more than 50% of employees turn in cards, they are allowed to organize. Recently an extensive report by Human Rights Watch on Walmart Corporation revealed that “relentless exploitation of weak US labor laws thwarts union formation and violates the rights of its US workers” in Walmart. Under the current terms of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), employees must allow the NLRB to conduct an election among employees in order to unionize. Advocates of the bill state that it will decrease employers’ ability to intimidate their workers into voting against unionization. In March, the House Passed the Employee Free Choice Act but President Bush has threatened to veto the bill if it passes the Senate.