On March 14, the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace sent a letter to the leaders of key subcommittees in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate urging them to protect secret ballots in union representation elections.

The coalition said the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies should maintain a bipartisan policy rider that prohibits the National Labor Relations Board from implementing electronic voting in union elections. 

“Congress, the NLRB, federal courts and stakeholders have all recognized that secret ballots in union representation elections are the best means for ensuring workers can freely vote their conscience and for guaranteeing secure and credible elections,” said Kristen Swearingen, chair of CDW and ABC vice president of legislative & political affairs, in a statement.

“Electronic voting, on the other hand, would break with NLRB precedent, increase the risk of coercion and fraud in representation elections and waste the NLRB’s limited resources,” said Swearingen.

The coalition also urged Congress to use the appropriations process to rein in the NLRB’s behavior and condition increases to NLRB funding on additional riders that limit expansion of its authority.

The letter comes in response to several House Democrats and President Joe Biden requesting the rider be eliminated in the FY 25 labor appropriations package.