Lawmakers override governor’s card-check veto

Hawaii lawmakers in a special legislative session on July 15 overrode the veto by Gov. Linda Lingle of the controversial union card-check bill. The override of House Bill 952 allows Hawaii labor unions to more easily organize workers by having them sign authorization cards.

The new law takes away the right of workers to vote by secret ballot on whether to join a union. The authorization cards replace the election process. If a majority of a company’s workers sign the cards, the union would be recognized and free to bargain with management.

The legislation is a coup for Hawaii’s labor unions who have said the card-check process is simply meant to streamline the present system and make it less coercive. Many employers, however, see the override as one of their biggest fears realized. They have long opposed card-check legislation as an intimidation tactic used by unions to push otherwise reticent workers to organize.