Chairman Adam Putnam Radio Address
March 2, 2007

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Transcript:

Hi. My name is Adam Putnam, I am the House Republican Conference Chairman, and I have the good fortune to serve the people of Florida’s 12th Congressional District.

In Washington, DC, I work with 434 other dedicated public servants, all of whom bring different perspectives to their work.

I’m sure your workplace – no matter how big or small – is like that. Some co-workers focus on their families, some on their faith, while others are devoted to their causes.

You know the type I am talking about – when you go to the breakroom, they want to talk about their favorite issue, and by they time you get back to your desk, they have already e-mailed you the latest literature on their favorite causes. Often you can find their slogans pinned to their chest or their back bumpers. And sometimes, regardless of whether you’re interested, they’ll try to get you to sign a petition or even make a donation.

Now, imagine for a moment that all of this made you uncomfortable and that you didn’t have the ability to quietly reject their advances without all of your co-workers knowing about it.

Well, that is what we are one day closer to seeing in our workplaces after House Democrats acted yesterday to pass the ironically-titled “Employee Free Choice Act.”

This misguided legislation would strip employees of their long-held right to decide privately whether they wish to organize a union to bargain with their employer on their behalf.

Instead, workers would be forced to take part in a “card-check” system that would keep a running public tally of who does – and more importantly, who does not – support organizing a union.

Without their privacy protected, workers would become more susceptible to face-to-face pressure from union organizers, which could quickly develop into undue intimidation and harassment.

Here’s an example: earlier this month, in testimony before a U.S. House labor subcommittee, Karen – to protect her identity, she chose not to provide her full last name – described tactics used in a card check campaign at her company in Oregon. During that card check drive, she said that she and her colleagues were “subjected to badgering and immense peer pressure” and that she “exercised [her] free choice not to be in the union and [her] work life became miserable because of it.”

Troubling stories like Karen’s provide us with much-needed perspective: after all, if we want America to be a global beacon of freedom and democracy, then we certainly ought to guarantee our own workers the right to a democratic workplace.

So I urge you to call whichever one of my 434 co-workers has the privilege to represent you in the Congress and ask them whether they voted this week to protect your privacy.

This has been Adam Putnam on behalf of House Republicans. Thank you for listening.