Rising unionism will be death of US

...In 2003 [Arlen Specter] was a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act. This legislation would facilitate union efforts — to put it mildly — by eliminating the secret ballot in which employees vote on whether they want to unionise, installing in its place a much more public “card check” system. The act died in the senate in 2007, but its revival this year was going strong.

However, in March, when polls showed that Specter was trailing in Pennsylvania’s 2010 Republican primary, he withdrew his support for the bill, dealing what appeared to be a death blow to its passage.

Who knows what he’ll do next? With Specter’s new affiliation , senate Democrats could have the filibuster-proof 60 votes they need to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. And, given President Barack Obama’s enthusiastic support of the legislation during the campaign, he can be expected to eagerly take out his pen and sign it into law.

And so, hello to unionisation efforts everywhere, and not just in the usual blue-collar sectors, but also in banks, insurance companies and every corner of the service sector...

Times of South Africa: Rising unionism will be death of US