Senate Republicans blocked a bill last month that would have allowed labor organizations
to unionize workplaces without secret ballot elections. Democrats were
unable to get the 60 votes needed to force consideration of the Employee Free
Choice Act (S.1041), which had earned the support of the Writers Guild of
America, the Screen Actors Guild, the Directors Guild of America and American
Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
Proponents said the bill aimed at reducing
what they feel as strong-arm tactics by employers. They argued that it would
have given workers—including writers, actors, directors,
broadcasters, recording artists, and other industry performers—the freedom to choose whether to join a union without employer
interference and enable them to bargain for improved wages, benefits, and
working conditions.
