George McGovern blasts 'Card Check' bill

Former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, a liberal icon and the Democratic Party's 1972 presidential candidate, blows the whistle on his party's efforts to force unions on American companies with the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), also known as "Card Check."

From McGovern's column in The Wall Street Journal:

The recent news that Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter has become a member of the Democratic caucus has given new life to legislation that many thought had been put to rest for this Congress -- the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).

Last year, I wrote on these pages that I was opposed to this bill because it would eliminate secret ballots in union organizing elections. However, the bill has an additional feature that isn't often mentioned but that is just as troublesome -- compulsory arbitration.

This feature would give the government the power to step into labor disputes where employers and labor leaders cannot reach an agreement and compel both sides to accept a contract. Compulsory arbitration is bound to trigger the law of unintended consequences.

Read the full column, "The 'Free Choice' Act Is Anything But," at the newspaper's Web site.