All about appearances with union bill

Retailers may be mortal enemies when it comes to competing for sales, but one thing all operators agree on is that the so-called Employee Free Choice Act is a bad deal for the retail industry. Also known as “card check,” the legislation would eliminate the current secret ballot procedures in favor of a procedure that involves employees signing a card.

The problem for businesses opposed to the union-friendly legislation, as well as lawmakers who might be inclined to vote against it, is the fact that, in the current economic climate, appearances matter. Just ask executives from the Big Three U.S. automakers, who exposed themselves to ridicule when they arrived in the nation’s capital last fall via private jet to appeal for government bailout money.

Now, retailers find themselves in a somewhat similar position, because proponents cleverly named a piece of legislation that makes it easier for unions to organize workers the Employee Free Choice Act. Opponents of the bill are fighting fire with fire, and have organizations such as Workforce Fairness Institute and the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace to fight on their behalf. The names of these groups sound as worker-friendly as the legislation they were created to defeat.

But it may not be enough. Union activists are bundling the legislation with the larger cause of revitalizing the economy. Just listen to a statement from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, arguing that Congress must pass President-elect Obama’s $800 billion investment and recovery program and legislation that will increase unionization, because it will lead to increased wages that are needed to improve economic conditions.

“Given the critical importance of job creation and increasing family income, I invite the retail industry to join the RWDSU in our effort to gain passage of these two initiatives,” said RWDSU president Stuart Applebaum. “Unfortunately, as demonstrated by their opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, it seems that some do not yet understand that they can’t increase retail sales by impoverishing workers and their families.”