“On behalf of Pennsylvania’s restaurants and all food and beverage employees in the Commonwealth, we thank Senator Specter for meeting and talking with us, for carefully weighing all sides of the issue, and for making a courageous decision to stand up and speak out against union card check legislation,” said Patrick Conway, president and ceo of the PRA. “Senator Specter’s decision demonstrates his belief in the private ballot in the workplace, and his opposition to mandatory first-contract binding arbitration. The union card check bill would undermine the basic principle of the private ballot in America, and would subject workers to intimidation and coercion in addition to driving more employers and jobs out of business and offshore.”
“Restaurateurs across the nation deeply appreciate Senator Specter’s stand against the union card check bill,” noted NRA executive vice president of public affairs Beth Johnson. “EFCA is a clear violation of employee rights, which would strip employees of the protection of a private-ballot election in determining whether or not to unionize, opening them up to coercion and intimidation. Further, once a workplace decided to unionize through this flawed process, the union and the employer would have 120 days to negotiate a contract before binding arbitration by a government arbitrator is forced on the business. As many restaurants continue to struggle in this very difficult economy, having a government arbitrator create the terms of employment for businesses is an unnecessary and harmful intrusion. We thank Senator Specter for listening to our members and his diligent leadership. It will not be forgotten.”
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