May 19 2007
Federal Pro-Union Bill Could Hurt Carolina Economy
A bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and soon to be considered in the Senate would radically change the rules pertaining to union activity in the workplace and could open South Carolina to union activity like never seen before, a prominent labor attorney in Columbia said.
The Employee Free Choice Act, which passed in the House in a 214-185 vote Feb. 28, would be a “radical change†in the relationship between employer and employee, said William Floyd, an attorney with Nexsen Pruet LLC in Columbia.
Calling this bill the Employee Free Choice Act grossly distorts what this bill does. It takes away the anonymity of a worker’s decision as to whether or not they care to unionize, thus opening the flood gates to union intimidation, a very common practice back in the mid twentieth century.
South Carolina is currently tied with North Carolina with the lowest proportion of union members in the nation. In 2006, of the 1.8 million workers in South Carolina, only 3.3% were members of unions, according to the AFL-CIO.
And I would argue that is why our two states are quickly growing, as opposed to the heavily unionized North where industry and population are going right down the drain.
The bottom line is unions have been losing membership for years because they are an antiquated cure of yesteryear. They had an important place in shaping workers’ conditions today, but their purpose has been served and it’s time they pat themselves on the back for a job well done and move on. Of course, like every group that pops up they get addicted to the influence and power they achieve and continue finding ways of keeping themselves relevant so they don’t have to let it go.
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