NASHVILLE, TN – Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney issued the following statement after State House Democrats voted to kill legislation that would preserve workers’ right to a secret ballot union election in the workplace:

“This vote demonstrates that Democrats are putting the needs of their special-interest allies ahead of their constituents,” said Devaney. “Secret ballot voting is one of the most fundamental rights afforded under our Democracy and Democrats have chosen to trample those rights in order to please their union buddies.”

The vote to kill the Secret Ballot Protection Act (HB 1916) occurred today in the Employee Affairs Subcommittee. The legislation was voted down on a tie party line vote of 3-3. Democrats voting against the legislation were Reps. Sherry Jones of District 59, Michael Ray McDonald of District 44, and Gary Moore of District 50.

“If Democrats continue to get their way by imposing so-called ‘card-check’ legislation, workers across our state will be left vulnerable to intimidation from union officials and company management wishing to unionize. There is no doubt that workers have the right to unionize, but they should be able to do so without undue pressure from union proponents. Republicans believe that Tennessee workers deserve to have their privacy protected which is why they voted in favor of this bill. Unfortunately, Democrats have chosen to put workers’ rights on the back burner in order to put their special interests first.”