To Peter Downs...Sorry I missed your call a couple of hours ago. Here is the idea for an article that could be submitted to you by Bradley Kafka, who is chairman of the Labor & Employment Law Department at Gallop, Johnson & Neuman in St. Louis:

As a result of victory by the Democratic Party in November 2008, employers can expect a major effort by Congress to pass a version of the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007, which was sponsored by 44 Senators, including then-Senators Obama and Joseph Biden.

The bill, if passed in its present form, will introduce the most comprehensive revisions to the National Labor Relations Act since at least 1959. 

If passed (and it is expected to pass this year), a union could become could become the designated collective bargaining representative of an employer's employees notwithstanding a request by the employees or the employer for a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. 

Moreover, for the first time in the history of the National Labor Relations Act, an initial collective bargaining agreement may be imposed on an employer by an arbitrator if the employer and union have reached an impasse in negotiations.

Also for the first time, the National Labor Relations Board would be granted authority, under certain circumstances, to impose fines or other penalties on employers found to have committed certain unfair labor practices. 

These and other inherent issues make the Employee Free Choice Act one of the most significant pieces of legislation in the history of management and labor. 

Mr. Kafka's article for St. Louis Construction & Real Estate would be an objective and informative summary of what the Act is, and what it could mean to employers and unions. 

As an alternative to providing the article for you, Mr. Kafka will be pleased to discuss the Employee Free Choice Act with you or one of your writers. 

Peter...Please contact me to discuss your potential interest. I am at office 314 993 6925 or cell 314 409 5203. Thank you, sir.

Best regards,

Jeff Dunlap
February 5, 2009