Ken Cuccinelli Asks Virginia's U.S. Senators to Oppose
Harmful Card Check Legislation

Cuccinelli also asks Shannon to join him in opposition to card check

FAIRFAX - Earlier today, State Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R-37), candidate for Attorney General of Virginia, reached out in a bi-partisan fashion to his opponent in the Attorney General's race -- Steve Shannon -- and asked Shannon to co-sign letters to U.S. Senators Webb and Warner asking them to oppose the federal legislation commonly referred to as "card check."

The card check bill, also known as S. 560, the "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA), would change how unions are allowed to organize workers in the United States. In its current form, the card check bill would require employers to recognize a union when union organizers collect signed cards favoring unionization from a majority of employees, thereby eliminating the current requirement of a secret ballot election for unionization.

Also, EFCA would provide that, when unions and management were engaged in collective bargaining, if neither party could come to an agreement on a contract after 120 days of bargaining, a federal agency would be empowered to settle the arbitration. Further, card check would impose new penalties on employer misconduct, but not on the same union misconduct, include tripling damage payments and imposing civil fines of up to $20,000 per violation on employers who violate employee rights during an organizing drive or first contract drive.

"Card check is a disastrous idea which should never be implemented," Cuccinelli said. "Its passage would dramatically undermine the Commonwealth of Virginia's right-to-work laws, which have been largely responsible for much of the economic growth in our state. Among its many bad provisions are one that would eliminate the secret ballot, which is a hallowed tradition of American elections, and replace it with a card check system that both parties - unions and business - could manipulate with threats and violence and one that would put the federal government in charge of many workplaces, allowing unelected, unaccountable, and federal bureaucrats who are inexperienced in the business world to make most major business decisions, perhaps including setting wages, hours, and use of health care plans."

Cuccinelli continued, "I hope that my opponent Steve Shannon will join me in asking our elected representatives in the U.S. Senate to oppose this bad legislation."

The letter which Senator Cuccinelli sent to Steve Shannon can be seen here:
http://www.cuccinelli.com/shannoncardcheck.htm.

The letter sent to Senator Webb, of which a duplicate copy was also sent to Senator Warner, can be seen here:
http://www.cuccinelli.com/ussenatecardcheck.htm.