New initiative launched for secret union ballots

CARSON CITY -- A new initiative was launched Monday in Nevada to require secret balloting in union organizing elections after the first proposal, seeking a constitutional amendment, died for lack of signatures.

The latest "Save Our Secret Ballot" initiative filed with the secretary of state's office seeks to change state law, as opposed to the constitution.

Steve Wark, a Republican consultant and chairman of the ballot advocacy group, blamed legal challenges for stalling the first attempt by cutting into time needed to gather signatures. The deadline to qualify a constitutional amendment for November's ballot was June 15.

Wark said he expected a new round of legal filings but added, "We have a heck of a head start on it."

The movement, supported by business groups in about a dozen states, is a response to pending federal legislation that would allow a majority of employees to unionize by signing cards. Currently, employers can require a secret ballot.

Labor activists criticize the initiative as anti-worker, arguing that secret ballot elections prolong the process and expose workers to retaliation and pressure from anti-union employers.