"The upshot for a worker is: By the day of the election, both sides know how you're going to vote."

Uh, no they don't. Has there ever been a case where a union got more than 50% to sign, and then lost the secret vote? Yes. Someone lied then, people can lie in the future.

"As such, organized labor has decided that it's more important to put employers and unions on a level playing field than it is to preserve the oft-romanticized notion of the secret ballot. "

How is it a level playing field? If the company gets more than 50% of workers to sign a card can they say they won the election?

"During unionization campaigns, companies routinely hire consultants to explain to workers, during work hours, why starting a union is such a bad idea. These consultants can also hold one-on-one meetings with workers and ask them how they plan to vote."
-- Ok, the one-on-one meetings sound a little creepy. But again, they can still vote as they like once they get in the booth by themselves. That's what's great about secret ballots. And, we shouldn't the company be able to use work time to explain to employees how it thinks the company should run? They're paying them to be there. Maybe the current process isn't perfect, but it seems a lot better than the card check proposal.

"Besides, they say, who said secret ballots were so great in the first place? In Oregon, Stern pointed out, millions of people fill out early election ballots with their names attached. "

Only the most oppressive states have elections where the authority can look over you shoulder at how you're voting, or walk up to you and ask you to sign a card to show your support. I think a lot of people think secret ballots are great. I would want a secret ballot.