Suppressing votes is something we usually associate with Third World dictators. But closer to home, the National Labor Relations Board in Washington is the one calling off elections. After working at Kaiser Permanente for 21 years, I was abruptly informed that Service Employees International Union organizers were launching a “card check” drive at my workplace.

Following a 13-day campaign, company officials announced that SEIU organizers had collected enough union cards to become the sole bargaining agent at my office.