Big Sky Debate

Resolved: That the Employee Free Choice Act serves the best interests of the American people.

 The index for our resources is here and a list of briefs for this book appears below the fold.

This is an extraordinarily timely topic as the EFCA was reintroduced in this current session of Congress on the day of our resource release.  Our research staff found a variety of interesting arguments on both the pro and con for this resolution.  Among the strongest:

• PRO: Unions, suffering from an incredible decline in membership, will be revitalized by the Employee Free Choice Act.
• PRO: The current system doesn't punish violations of labor organization laws in any meaningful way, which is fixed by the Employee Free Choice Act.
• PRO: Unions are critical to the US middle class and the US worker.
• CON: The Employee Free Choice Act hurts individual worker privacy.
• CON: The Employee Free Choice Act hurts US business during a time of extraordinary economic turmoil.
• CON: The Employee Free Choice Act tips the balance too much in favor of unions.

METADEBATE

• EFCA DEFINED: NEUTRAL
• EFCA DEFINED: PRO
• EFCA DEFINED: CON
• WHAT IS THE STATUS QUO?
• UNIONS LOSING MEMBERSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES
• UNIONS NOT LOSING POLITICAL CLOUT IN THE UNITED STATES

PRO

• EFCA DOES A BETTER JOB OF ENFORCING LABOR LAWS
• EFCA FIXES THE CURRENT SYSTEM
• EFCA MEANS FREE CHOICE FOR WORKERS
• CURRENT SYSTEM MEANS EMPLOYERS INTIMIDATE WORKERS
• “CAPTIVE AUDIENCE” MEETING MAKE THE CURRENT SYSTEM UNFAIR TO WORKERS AND UNIONS
• EFCA WON’T DAMAGE THE ECONOMY
• CHECK CARDS ARE A LEGITIMATE STRATEGY
• AMERICANS SUPPORT THE EFCA
• EFCA WOULD REVIVE UNIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
• UNIONS GOOD: HELP THE MIDDLE CLASS
• UNIONS GOOD: CRITICAL FOR WORKER RIGHTS
• BARGAINING MANDATE GOOD: DECREASES COSTS FOR BOTH SIDES
• A/T: CURRENT SYSTEM IS DEMOCRATIC
• A/T: UNIONS WILL INTIMIDATE AND COERCE WORKERS
• A/T: EFCA ELIMINATES THE SECRET BALLOT
• A/T: BERMAN EVIDENCE
• A/T: EMPLOYER FREE SPEECH IS COMPROMISED

CON

• CURRENT METHOD PROVIDES APPROPRIATE PROTECTIONS FOR ALL
• EFCA HURTS EMPLOYER FREE SPEECH RIGHTS
• EFCA PUTS DISRUPTS THE BALANCE OF POWER IN FAVOR OF UNIONS
• EFCA IS ANTI-BUSINESS PROPAGANDA
• EFCA ALLOWS UNIONS TO USE COERCIVE TACTICS TO START UNIONS
• EFCA ERODES WORKER PRIVACY/CHOICE
• EFCA HURTS THE ECONOMY: INCREASES EXPENSES TO DO BUSINESS
• EFCA HURTS THE ECONOMY: FORCES ARBITRATION WHICH COULD HURT BUSINESS
• AMERICANS AGAINST THE EFCA
• EFCA HURTS DEMOCRACY AND DEBATE IN UNION ORGANIZING
• SECRET BALLOT IN UNION ORGANIZATION IS SACRED AND SHOULD BE PROTECTED
• EMPLOYER COERCION IN THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS A MYTH
• EFCA ALLOW FOR TOO LONG OF A PROCESS TIME
• EFCA SETS WRONG TONE FOR WORKER RIGHTS DISCUSSION
• EFCA LACKS SAFEGUARDS
• EFCA ADVOCACY IS POLITICAL IN NATURE
• EFCA DOESN’T MEAN MASS UNIONIZATION
• A/T: EFCA INCREASES WORKER CHOICE