By Jesse Russell

American Rights at Work was founded to inform the public about struggles for workplace democracy. Kim Freeman is the organizations communications director who says one of the main problems is labor laws protecting workers aren't strong enough.

[Freeman:] A lot of employers are finding that it's cheaper to just go ahead and break the law when it comes to violating workers rights because it has such a chilling effect on a union organizing campaign that it's worth it.

The organization recently commissioned a study that concludes union elections fall alarmingly short of living up to the most fundamental tenets of democracy. The report, "Free and Fair? How Labor Law Fails U.S. Democratic Election Standards" was written by Prof. Gordon Lafer of the University of Oregon.

[lafer]: The kinds of things that we regularly condemn foreign elections for as illegitimate. Things like media being controlled by the ruling party or workers being required as a condition of their job to go for rallies for the ruling party. Things like that, which we all the time reject foreign elections for are completely legal and common in workplaces across America.