Daniel A. Bosh – 3/8/09

This page was last updated on March 8, 2009.

Bill puts decision in workers’ hands; Daniel A. Bosh; Beaver County Times; March 8, 2009.

If you’ve read Mr. Bosh’s letters over the years, you recognize him as a died-in-the-wool leftist. In the 2004 presidential campaign, Mr. Bosh was a Democrat national delegate committed to Dennis Kucinich. Mr. Bosh is a representative of the Steelworkers Pension Trust. There’s nothing wrong with Mr. Bosh representing the USW but it means Mr. Bosh isn’t an impartial observer when it comes to labor union issues, and the misnamed “Employee Free Choice Act” (aka, card check) is a labor union management issue. Mr. Bosh and/or the Times should have revealed his relationship with the USW.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“The Employee Free Choice Act would not take away the employees’ right to a secret ballot election in a union organizing effort, as alleged in a recent letter to the editor (‘Keep secret ballots in union efforts,’ Wednesday).”

[RWC] You can find most of my comments in my critique of “Bill makes it easier to for a union.”

Unlike Mr. Bosh, the author of the subject letter disclosed his employment (President of Ellwood City Forge).

“It would give the right to choose between majority sign up and a secret ballot election to the employees. The current system allows the company to make that decision.”

[RWC] Theoretically, employees could still call for an election with secret ballots, but it’s unlikely an employee intimidated to check the card for a union would also check the box (if provided) demanding an election.

Finally, let’s remember the employer is the guy providing the jobs and will pay the bill for whatever choice the employees make, yet folks like Mr. Bosh believe the employer should have no input in the certification process. Is it asking too much to allow the employer to request an election with secret ballots? As I’ve written before, labor union management won’t admit it, but the employer’s current right to call for an election protects both the employer and the employee. Currently, an employee who feels intimidated (whether by the employer or labor union management) knows that regardless of what he does with the organizing petition, he can vote his true position in secret. If a person is afraid of an election with secret ballots, he’s hiding something.