United Farm Workers fight dwindling membership
The United Farm Workers is backing a California bill that would provide for card-check elections, where if a majority of workers signed and turned in cards stating that they wanted the union, there would not be a secret ballot election. The union says that in addition to high turnover and changes in who farm workers are, fear of employer reprisal keeps many workers away from the union. The UFW says that its declining membership can be linked to those changes, but that taking union elections away from workplaces will reduce the intimidation of workers. Employers oppose the bill, saying that most of them follow the law, and that any problems should be addressed specifically. The bill is due to be voted on by the State Assembly, and would become the first card-check law to cover a large group of private employers.
See "United Farm Workers fight dwindling membership", April 19, 2011