Employees who want to form or join unions to help them bargain for better wages and working conditions generally have two routes to gain representation. They can engage in an election process supervised by a government agency or can submit a petition or collection of signed authorization cards that demonstrate majority support for the union, commonly known as majority sign-up or card check.
Private sector employees, whose union rights are supervised by the National Labor Relations Board, can use both routes, but majority sign-up is available only if the employer agrees. Legislation before Congress, the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), would remove the employer’s veto and leave employees free to choose majority sign-up if they prefer. continue reading