Last week, the Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a Legislative Breakfast addressing the top 10 state and federal issues that will impact business. Tony Fiore, director of Labor and Human Resources Policy for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, noted one of the primary issues of grave concern to chambers and to business is the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) or "Card Check" as it was introduced in Congress.

"If passed, Card Check would be devastating to our economy in these uncertain times," Fiore said. "Many employers are struggling to keep their doors open and Card Check would place more unnecessary costs on the backs of businesses forcing them to cut costs and possibly their workforce. In fact, one study clearly shows Card Check would cost 600,000 jobs in 2010 alone."

What is Card Check? Who is affected? If passed, it would mandate that a union be recognized if a majority of employees in a designated bargaining unit sign authorization cards, hence the name Card Check. Currently, workers can vote for collective bargaining without fear that their vote will be seen by their fellow co-workers or union organizers. Card Check takes away the employee right to a private, secret-ballot election. Once more than 50 percent sign cards, all of the workers would be in a union - no more debate and no secret ballot election required.

Card Check has a second provision. If a contract is not negotiated and agreed to within 120 days (a very short period of time to work out the many details needed in a union contract), binding arbitration occurs. A contract will be written by federal arbitrators. It is unlikely that this arbitration panel really understands the specific business, yet the panel would decide how that business would operate and what the employees would receive, without the normal give-and-take of a negotiated contract process.

According to a recent poll of registered voters conducted by the U.S. Chamber, 75 percent of the respondents prefer a system that encourages good faith negotiations, while only 16 percent prefer a system in which government arbitrators write the contract.

Thirdly, Card Check would impose dramatic new penalties on employers for violations of the National Labor Relations Act, but not a single new penalty on unions or labor organizers.

Why should every business care about this legislation? Because Card Check would make union organizing cheaper and faster, possibly putting even the smallest companies on the unions' list of places to organize.

Why should every worker care? Because it would strip away America's tradition of secret ballot elections and expose workers to coercion. The bill would ultimately destroy jobs by making it more difficult for businesses to adapt and innovate. This is exactly the wrong prescription for our ailing economy.

A new study, conducted by the nonpartisan consulting firm LECG, determined that Card Check legislation would negatively impact the landscape of the U.S. economy, increasing unemployment and stifling job growth for all Americans. In fact, the predicted increase of 1.5 million new union members in one year would lead to the loss of 600,000 jobs by the following year.

Chambers of Commerce around the state and across the USA believe this legislation would radically restructure 60 years of carefully crafted and balanced labor law that has served unions, employers, and employees well for many decades.

U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, has stated that he will not support this legislation. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, has spoken in favor this bill. The Web site www.ohiobusinessvotes.com has more information on this issue.

Founded in 1887, the Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce is Washington County's largest business advocacy group. The chamber works to promote and protect the interests of its members - large and small - while building a more favorable business climate in southeastern Ohio.

Charlotte Keim is president of the Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce, The Riverview Building, 100 Front St., Suite 200, Marietta. Chamber Viewpoint appears every other Monday on the Opinion page.