The hearing focused on whether corporate campaigns can be used to organize workers in a company where the majority of workers may not want collective bargaining representation. According to Jarol Mannheim, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University, corporate campaigns center on the media. Unions attempt to tarnish the company’s image, until it yields on the issue under dispute.
Typically, labor organizations gauge worker interest through authorization cards that are signed by employees who want collective bargaining representation. However, these authorization cards are signed in the presence of a pro-union coworker or outside union organizer. Typically, no government supervision is provided during this time. Many believe that the absence of government supervision has led to deceptions, coercion and other abuses over the years.
"Today’s workers confront a situation whereby they can be forced to be represented by and contribute to a union that they did not choose, and which they oppose," says Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga. "I believe that, with a few exceptions, workers should have the right to choose whether they want union representation. It should not be imposed on them by deals made by other parties."