This is what you get when it’s “free trade” and not fair trade.

About 90 percent of the former mill workers surveyed last fall found some other form of employment by the end of 2008, but those workers rehired by service-sector companies such as Wal-Mart and The Home Depot complained they earn far less as non-union workers. Only 23 percent of those surveyed by Food AND Medicine still worked at union jobs by 2008, down from 93 percent in 2000.

These workers once had good jobs and were laid off. Now they’re in the service sector. By the way, this article in the Bangor Daily News sort of doesn’t state EFCA the right way.

The organization used the interviews to build the case for legislation aimed at increasing protections for U.S. workers, including the TRADE Act, which would renegotiate U.S. trade agreements, and the controversial Employee Free Choice Act, which would let workers unionize by having a majority of the work force sign authorization cards rather than using a secret-ballot election.

It makes it sound as if the secret-ballot would be no more. When in reality…

Once 30% of the work force has signed the cards, the employer may decide to hold a secret ballot election on the question of unionization.[3] In practice, the results of the card check are not presented to the employer until 50 or 60% of employees have signed the cards to help ensure winning the election.[3] If the majority of votes favor the union, the National Labor Relations Board will certify it as the exclusive representative of the employees for the purpose of collective bargaining.