Card check (also called
majority sign-up) is a method for
American employees to organize into a
labor union in which a majority of employees in a
bargaining unit sign authorization forms, or "cards," stating they wish to be represented by the union. Since the
National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) became law in 1935, majority sign-up has been an alternative to the
National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) election process. Majority sign-up and election are both overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. The difference is that with card sign-up, employees sign authorization cards stating they want a union, the cards are submitted to the NLRB and if more than 50% of the employees submitted cards, the NLRB requires the employer to recognize the union. The NLRA election process is an additional step with the NLRB conducting a secret ballot election after authorization cards are submitted. In both cases the employer never sees the authorization cards or any information that would disclose how individual employees voted.
