Bentivolio Co-Sponsors Employee Protection Act

Michigan congressman Kerry Bentivolio (R-11th District) has signed on as a co-sponsor of the Employee Rights Act (H.R. 3485), a bill that would impose new federal requirements on unions. 
 
Among other things, the legislation would:

• Guarantee secret ballot elections and require a secret ballot vote to authorize a strike
• Require unions to get employee permission to use his or her dues for any activity other than collective bargaining
• Require periodic secret ballot referendums on established unions
• Allow employees to opt out of sharing personal information with a union during an organizing campaign
• Prohibit unions from intimidating employees from exercising their rights, including the right to decertify a union.
• Ban violence or the threat of violence by unions

“Workers should not be forced to join a union against their will,” Bentivolio said. “They deserve the freedom to choose and the privacy of a secret ballot, especially when the outcome could put their employment status at risk.”

The bill, which has been referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce, can be read at congress.gov.