(Washington, DC) - Congressman Wally Herger today voted against H.R. 800, legislation that would change the process by which unions are organized.  Under current law, if a majority of employees at a workplace sign cards indicating that they wish to form a union, either the employees or the employer can request a secret ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board.  H.R. 800 would change the law, enabling a union to automatically form when a majority of employees have signed cards, without the opportunity for a secret ballot.  Herger made the following comment regarding his opposition to this legislation:

 "This legislation would strip away the fundamental right of American workers to free and fair elections," Herger stated.  "The secret ballot is a basic principle of our democracy.  No one would ever suggest that people be forced to publicly reveal their votes for President or Congress.  Yet that is exactly the system this bill would impose on workers.  If H.R. 800 becomes law, workers will no longer be able to make important decisions about union membership in the privacy of the voting booth.  Instead, they will be forced to make those decisions in an environment that would pose a greater risk of misinformation, fraud, and physical and psychological intimidation."

 Herger concluded, "American workers should have the right to choose whether or not they want to join a union.  I'm afraid that this bill would create a system that would not provide sufficient protection against coercion and manipulation.  The House majority refused even to accept an amendment to establish a 'do-not-call' system for workers who do not wish to receive further union-related communications.  I hope the Senate and the President will reject this profoundly anti-democratic legislation."