A dozen protesters gathered Wednesday outside the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce to rally against the group's role in the national effort to sink the federal Employee Free Choice Act.
The proposed legislation would allow workers to organize unions through an employee card-signing drive to avoid having to go through a formal secret-ballot election that labor activists say is cumbersome and time-consuming.
"This is pretty short-sighted of the Chamber," said Julie Holzer of the United Steel Workers union. "They claim to represent Main Street workers, but how do you do that if they can't have living wages? Those workers have to bargain for it."
But the Chamber, which has joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in opposing the federal legislation, argues that taking away a secret ballot opens up workers to employee intimidation by union bosses.
"The secret ballot is inherently American, and a time-tested method, and one we feel should be preserved," said Marty Carpenter, chamber spokesman. "If workers at your company are trying to form a union, and you don't feel compelled to do that, but the union forms anyway, then those organizers know who voted against it. That leaves a big potential for retribution."
Wayne Holland, representative for the United Steel Workers and chairman of the Utah Democratic Party, said the federal act would instead put union organizers and employers on a level playing field.
"This bill takes away the ability for employer intimidation," he said, citing AFL-CIO statistics that nearly 30,000 workers were illegally fired in 2007 for attempting to form a union. "It's cheaper for an employer to illegally fire a worker, pay the fines and then go about his day than to obey the law. The process is broken."
Linda Parsons, director of the nonprofit Utah Jobs with Justice, delivered a letter to the chamber, asking it to "disassociate yourself from the divisive campaign of the U.S. Chamber which will only benefit Wall Street, not the businesses of Main Street."
"Historically, chambers of commerce have been against workers' rights, from the eight-hour workday to child labor laws," Parsons said. "We want the Chamber to at least tell us why they oppose this."
