Academic

In the post prior to this one I lamented the fact that employment rights had not received much coverage in the presidential debates and predicted that they would receive zero treatment in last night’s debate - but they did.

Here’s a summary of that treatment (of sorts) from CNN’s fact checker:

Fact Check: Would Obama ‘take away right’ to secret ballot for unions?

Posted: 04:58 AM ET

The Statement:

In a speech Monday, Oct. 13, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Republican
presidential candidate Sen. John McCain took on Democratic opponent Sen. Barack
Obama’s stance on unions. “Senator Obama is measuring the drapes (in the White
House), and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to ? take away your
right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections,” he said.

Get the facts!

The Facts:

McCain is referring to a plan supported by labor unions. Currently, workers
must get at least 30 percent of their colleagues to sign an authorization form
to ask for union representation ? then hold a secret-ballot vote to finalize
it. The change Obama supports would let a union be recognized by the National
Labor Relations Board immediately after the majority signs the authorization.

Supporters of the change, including the AFL-CIO and other unions, say it would
cut down on the ability of employers to pressure their workers to vote against
a union. Business groups, meanwhile, say the opposite ? that the secret ballot
allows workers who don’t want to unionize to publicly sign off on the plan,
pleasing union leaders, then privately vote against it.

The change is part of the so-called Employee Free-Choice Act, which Obama
co-sponsored. The plan is designed to make it easier to create unions in the
workplace, and both supporters and opponents agree it would increase the number
of union members in the United States. Backers say it will lead to better wages
and benefits for workers and grow the size of the middle class, while opponents
say it will hurt businesses by costing them more at a time when profits for
many are already thin.

The bill passed the House last year by a vote of 241-185. It was also supported
in the Senate, 51-48 ? but that didn’t reach the 60 votes that would have been
needed to survive a filibuster on a final vote. That’s also not enough to
override a veto by President Bush, who is against it. Obama and running mate
Sen. Joe Biden voted on June 26, 2007, to move the bill forward, while McCain
voted against it.

Verdict:

True. McCain accurately represents Obama’s stance,
although the candidates disagree on the merits of the plan.
Organized labor backs Obama’s position, while business groups
and some non-union workers support McCain’s.