Employee Free Choice Act (Card Check Legislation)

Current Law:

• Under current law, employees have the right to vote via secret ballot on the issue of whether their workplace should unionize. This protects the rights of employees to choose-freely and without intimidation-their representatives in the workplace and their employment conditions.
• The Employee Free Choice Act, also known as the "Card-Check Bill," would take away these important rights by:
• Replacing the secret ballot with a "card check" process in which employees will be asked to openly choose whether their workplace should unionize, in front of union representatives, other employees, and employers; and
• Allowing government-appointed mediators to impose contracts, wages, and working conditions on employees and their employers if the employers fail to agree to union demands.

The Need:

• The right to vote in a private ballot election is a fundamental hallmark of America.
• If passed, the card check bill will harm the lodging industry by impacting the manner in which hotels are operated and the costs of doing so.
• For many small and family-owned hotels, this bill could place control of the hotel in the hands of the unions, depriving owners of the ability to work with their employees to create a successful business environment. This bill could potentially force many properties out of business.

The Legislative Solution:

• AAHOA urges all elected representatives to protect the rights of workers to vote on the issue of unions without intimidation, and to protect the financial interests of the hoteliers who employ hundreds of thousands of workers in this country by opposing the mis-named Employee Free Choice Act.