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thE housE is ExpECtED to pAss A piECE oF lEgislAtion thursDAy thAt sEEks to signiFiCAntly rEBAlAnCE thE plAying FiElD For unions AnD EmployErs AnD CoulD possiBly rEvErsE DECADEs oF DEClining mEmBErship Among privAtE inDustriEs.
thEEmployEE FrEEChoiCEACt woulD Allow A union to BE rECognizED AFtEr CollECting A mAjority oF votE CArDs, instEAD oF wAiting For thE nAtionAl lABor rElAtionsBoArD to ovEr-sEE A sECrEt BAllot ElECtion, whiCh CAn oCCur morE thAn 50 DAys AFtEr thE CArD votE is ComplEtE
D、
rEprEsEntAtivEs oF BusinEss onCApitol hill opposE thE Bill. thE nAtionAlAssoCiAtion oF mAnuFACturErs, thE nAtionAl FEDErAtion oF inDEpEnDEntBusinEss, thE u.s.ChAmBEr oFCommErCE AnD othEr BusinEss groups opposE thE shiFt AwAy From sECrEt BAllots sAying thE ChAngE CoulD thrEAtEn thE privACy oF thE workErs. "this isn’t ABout prEvEnting inCrEAsED unionizAtion, it’s ABout protECting rights," sAiD thE nAtionAlAssoCiAtion oF mAnuFACturEr’s jAson strACzEwski, oF his orgAnizAtion’s opposition to Bill. strACzEwski sAys EliminAting thE sECrEt-BAllot stEp woulD opEn up EmployEEs to CoErCion (强迫，威胁) From unions.
sAmuEl oF thEAFl-Cio ContEnDs thE rEAl CoErCion ComEs From EmployErs. "workErs tAlking to workErs ArE EquAls whilE mAnAgErs tAlking to workErs ArEn’t," sAmuEl sAi
D、hE CitEs thE 31,358 CAsEs oF illEgAl EmployEr DisCriminAtion ACtED on By thE nAtionAl lABor rElAtionsBoArD in 2005.
sAmuEl Also points out thAt CountEr to ClAims From thE BusinEss loBBy, thE sECrEt BAl-lot woulD not BE EliminAtE
D、thE ChAngE woulD only tAkE thE Control oF thE timing oF thE ElECtion out oF thE hAnDs oF thE EmployErs. "on thE grounD, thE DiFFErEnCE BEtwEEn hAving this lEgislAtion AnD not woulD BE thE DiFFErEnCE BEtwEEn night AnD DAy," sAiD riChArD shAw oF thE hArrisCountyCEntrAl i.ABorCounCil, who sAys it woulD hAvE A trEmEnDous impACt on thE loCAl lEvEl.
thE Bill hAs othEr provisions (规定，条款) As wEll. thEEmployEE FrEEChoiCEACt woulD Also imposE BinDing ArBitrAtion (仲裁) whEn A CompAny AnD A nEwly FormED union CAnnot AgrEE on A ContrACt AFtEr 3 months.An AgrEEmEnt workED out unDEr BinDing Compul- sory ArBitrAtion woulD BE in EFFECt For 2 yEArs, A FACt thAt strACzEwski CAlls, "BorDErlinE unConstitutionAl. " "i Don’t sEE how it will BEnEFit EmployEEs iF thEy’rE loCkED into A ContrACt," sAiD strACzEwski.
thE Bill’s proponEnts point to thE trEnD oF rECognizED unions unABlE to gEt ContrACts From unwilling EmployErs. thE FEDErAl mEDiAtion AnDConCiliAtion sErviCE, thE orgAnizAtion thAt ovErsEEs ArBitrAtion, rEportED thAt in 2004, 45 pErCEnt oF nEwly FormED unions wErE DEniED First ContrACts By EmployErs. thE Bill woulD Also strEngthEn thE pEnAltiEs For CompAniEs thAt illEgAlly CoErCE or intimiDAtE EmployEEs.As it stAnDs, thE lAw on thE Books hAsn’t ChAngED suBstAntiAlly sinCE thE nAtionAl lABor rElAtionsACt wAs mADE into lAw in 1935. thE nlBr CAn EnForCE no othEr pEnAlty thAn rEinstAting wrongFully FirED EmployEEs or rECovEring lost wAgEs.
ACCorDing to its opponEnts, thE Bill______.A．will protECt EmployEEs’ rights
B、will BEnEFit workErs By BinDing ContrACts
C．will EmpowEr unions too muCh
D、mAkEs it possiBlE For EmployEEs to yiElD to CoErCion From unions