WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The Senate began work Tuesday on legislation to allow union workers to conduct organizing votes by public ballot.

Titled the Employee Free Choice Act, the bill dramatically improves unions’ ability to get the required votes among a company’s workers to form a union. The House narrowly passed the same bill earlier this month.

“It’s time to return to a world where workers obtain their fair share of the nation’s economic growth,” said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who chaired Tuesday’s hearing on the bill. “Unions mean the difference between an economy that is fair and an economy where working people are left behind.”

Republicans say the bill is anything but fair.

Under the legislation, also known as “card check,” union organizers gather signatures in meetings with employees of the targeted company. Republicans say this could lead to arm-twisting or outright intimidation. For the past 30 years, the National Labor Relations Board has required these organizing votes to be conducted by secret ballot.

Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif., called the bill “a politically motivated attempt to undermine workers’ right to a secret ballot.” President Bush has threatened to veto the bill if it reaches his desk.

The GOP charges that Democrats are trying to repay union leaders for their support in the 2006 elections that gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress.

In the past 16 years, 92 percent of labor’s political contributions have gone to Democrats. Eight percent has gone to Republicans. Since 1990, organized labor has given more than $500 million in campaign contributions to Democrats, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. In the 2006 elections cycle alone, labor gave more than $50 million to Democrats.

To counter the Democratic initiative, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said he will introduce the Secret Ballot Protection Act.

“This bill will guarantee that every American worker gets a secret ballot election,” he said.

churt@dcexaminer.com