the matter of  unionization? Please read this letter below and give me some 
ideas by wednesday,  sept. 10th, 2008, if you can. Thanx in advance. Haruna.
 
Haruna  Darbo
The Global  Democracy Project
 
 
Dear  Haruna,
 
There simply may not be a more important issue  facing American business 
today.
 
Legislation to change business-employee  relationships forever – and change 
them for the worse; hurt our nation’s ability  to compete in our global 
economy; expose businesses to significant new legal  liabilities and fines; and give 
labor unions unprecedented power over business  decisions is awaiting 
Congressional approval in early 2009.
 
HR 800 – the grossly misnamed Employee  Free Choice Act (EFCA, also known as 
S. 1041) – passed the U.S. House  of Representatives on March 1, 2007, by a 
margin of 241-185.
 
On June 26, 2007, the Senate voted 51 to 48 on a  motion for cloture on HR 
800, in attempt to end debate and move to a vote on  passing the bill.  The 
cloture vote fell short of the 60 votes needed to  end debate, and the bill is 
unlikely to pass this session.  But it is  expected to be one of the first votes 
when Congress convenes in  2009.
 
At the core of the bill is a fundamental and  volatile change in current 
labor law.
 
HR 800 would eliminate an employee’s right  to a secret ballot in deciding 
whether to unionize.
 
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce supports the  right of workers to voluntarily 
join unions under a process that is fair to both  the employee and the 
employer.  However, we strongly oppose efforts  by union organizers to take away 
from employees the right of each individual to  decide whether or not membership 
in a union is in their best  interest.
 
The elimination of secret-ballot elections  strikes at one of the essential 
founding principles of American freedom and  democracy: the ability to cast a 
vote in confidence and privacy, free from  coercion, harassment and 
intimidation.
 
Make no mistake: this legislation,  if enacted, would mean a dramatic new 
direction for our country’s labor  laws.  It would give labor unions an 
overwhelming advantage in  establishing union representation.  Their influence would 
quickly spread to  companies where there is now no union presence whatsoever, 
stretching even to  our nation’s 22 “right to work” states, including Georgia.
 
Should 50-percent-plus-one of a company’s  employees sign “union 
authorization cards,” the union would automatically be  given the right and standing to 
negotiate under mandatory arbitration for all  applicable employees.  Whether 
or not employees want union representation;  whether or not they want money 
deducted from their paycheck to pay union dues;  whether or not they want to be 
called off the job for a prolonged strike – none  of it would matter.  They 
would be forced to do so.
 
I fear that most CEOs of U.S. companies are  unaware of this legislation and 
the severe consequences it will bring  about.  Unions lost over 3,500 
elections from 2003-2006.  Their ranks  have been dwindling.  This bill is designed to 
wind the clock back to 1945  – when more than a third of all American workers 
belonged to unions – by forcing  more workers to join them.  It would make it 
almost impossible for any  enterprise of 50 employees or more to resist or 
prevent  unionization.
 
I invite you, as a top official in your organization, to join us  on a 
conference call hosted by Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot and  to be 
joined by presidents and CEOs of some of America's greatest companies, for  an 
important discussion of this issue.
 
This call is intended for CEOs, presidents and top company officials only, 
and  is scheduled for........
Please review the attached document for further  information, and RSVP to 
..........
Upon confirmation, dial-in information will be  furnished.  

Thank you,
George
President &  CEO






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