Three retail giants support a compromise on a controversial measure that would make union organizing easier, while players on both sides of the issue dig in for a fight. “The Louisiana Retailers Association does not support any compromise on the Employee Free Choice Act,” says Jessica Elliott, the association’s director of governmental affairs, who argues the EFCA will lead to job losses.
According to published reports, Costco, Starbucks and Whole Foods support a proposal that would likely involve requiring 70% of workers to sign an authorization card before union certification, instead of 50% plus one as the EFCA reads now.
“It probably will be defeated as it’s currently written, and putting this sort of compromise out there makes it more likely that it will pass, and that is not good for employees or businesses,” says Michael Mitchell, a labor and employment lawyer who represents the Louisiana Restaurant Association.
“This proposal is no proposal at all, it’s not a compromise at all, it’s just about maintaining the status quo,” says Josh Goldstein of American Rights at Work, a pro-union advocacy group. He says the alternative proposal indicates a split in the business community between elements who see problems with the current system and organizations like the National Right to Work Committee who have no interest in any sort of compromise.—David Jacobs
