March 26, 2009
A Victory for The Secret Ballot in South Carolina
I never thought in the United States that a “victory for the secret ballot” would be needed. Turns out, I was wrong.
Back in February, Democrats fought us tooth-and-nail to stop a resolution asking our Congressmen to oppose the “Employee Free Choice Act” which should be better known as the “Employee Choices Taken Away Act.” This law, under consideration by Congress, would eliminate an employee’s right to a secret ballot in union-organizing elections.
I can think of very few things that are more un-American than that.
That first bill was simply a resolution. This week, we approved a state constitutional amendment that will guarantee the right to a secret ballot in union organizing votes.
To pass a constitutional amendment in South Carolina, we need 83 votes in the SC House, so it is essential to get some South Carolina Democrats on board. Thanks to pressure from citizens and small businesses, we were able to pass a constitutional amendment easily.
I sponsored both the resolution and the constitutional amendment guaranteeing a secret ballot.
While defending the bill on the House floor in February, I told the House that since June 2000, there have been 62 union votes in South Carolina. The unions won 55 percent of them. Most of the unions in South Carolina represent government or quasi-government employees, according to statistics.
I believe that the secret ballot is a fundamental right of all Americans in any election. In this case, it protects an employee’s right to vote his conscience – rather than being intimidated by union bosses or company representatives. It tells businesses that we respect fundamental rights and that we are business-friendly.
The House Republicans listed “Growing South Carolina’s Economy” as our top priority for this legislative year. Yes, we know that is a broad topic, but it is necessarily broad because there are so many different actions we can take. This week’s actions were a case in point. While this will not directly create jobs, it tells businesses across the nation that we want to be a place where they can set up shop and employ South Carolinians.
If approved by the Senate, the Constitutional amendment will appear on the ballot for voters to approve in 2010 – and you will have the final say on whether this becomes law.
According to the legislation, the question will read: “Must Section 1, Article II of the Constitution of this State be amended so as to provide that the guarantee of the right to vote by secret ballot applies in required designations or authorizations for employee representation?”
I know what my answer will be.
As always, thank you for the privilege of serving you in Columbia. If I can ever be of assistance to you, or if you have ideas on issues you want me to share with the rest of the General Assembly, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 864-230-7044.
