According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, union membership increased in 2008 by 428,000 new members. That is the largest one-year gain in a quarter of a century! In percentage terms, it is an increase from 12.1 percent to 12.4 percent of all workers in the country.
In light of the success of union organizers, it is surprising that the Democrats are still promoting the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which will serve to further increase union membership by substituting card checks for secret ballot elections. Card checks will permit union organizers to sign up a majority of intimidated workers and, ipso facto, those workers will be unionized.
With the number of unionized workers expected to grow beyond the current 16.1 million already unionized workers, corporate America will be facing daunting economic challenges to remain competitive in a global economy. We have seen what effect the unions have had on the auto industry. If the EFCA becomes law, we shall see many other industries suffering similarly. The last thing America needs now during this worsening recession is a law that will shackle Corporate America.
