About 116 million private sector employees have no union contract. Most of those employees can lose their jobs for no good reason at all.
Each time a politician does something awful, someone always says this; let’s see all the facts first. Don’t rush to judgment. This sounds good and is a courtesy most americans are denied. Before you make that hiring decision next Tuesday, it might help to know which bar you’re going to use.
The bar used everywhere else
The only place we require absolute certainty (beyond a reasonable doubt) when dealing with a loss of liberty (Prison), is Prison. That is by design. We have created a very high bar here because we are taking away someones freedom.
All other places operate with a much lower bar of evidence called “a preponderance of the evidence”. Translated into everyday language, it means “More Likely Than Not.” civil suits are based upon a “preponderance of the evidence” as well as many regulatory bodies that can put an employee out of work. In 1981, the Supreme Court ruled that the securities exchange commission (“SEC”) had the authority to ban an individual from being employed by investment adviser firms based on a “preponderance of the evidence,” which is the exact same bar used in personal injury auto cases.
In 1995, a criminal Jury acquitted O.J. Simpson. two years later, in 1997, a civil Jury heard the same case regarding the same two deaths. Using the lower evidentiary burden (bar) they found him liable for $33.5 million. The defendant was the same man involved in the same two deaths. What changed was the bar. Everything else remained the same.
Most jobs have less protection than either
Of the approximately 124.6 million people working in the private sector in 2025, approximately 8.4 million were protected by a collective bargaining agreement (”cba”) negotiated by a labor union. Therefore, approximately 116 million people have no cba and therefore are subject to at-will employment. At will employment is defined by the u.s. Department of labor’s journal as terminating an employee for “good cause, bad cause or no cause at all.”
No hearing. No Jury. A manager has the power to terminate you simply because he believes you’ve become too much trouble.
You manage your life the same way. You wouldn’t hire your neighbor’s baby sitter due to the whispers of her character. You wouldn’t continue to employ your accountant once he’s been sued by a client for embezzlement. You wouldn’t wait for his conviction. You’d base your decision based on what you knew, because if you made a mistake, your children or finances would suffer as a result.
The one hire where you allow yourself to be graded on a curve
When a state or federal elected official is accused of wrongdoing and subsequently caught, all of a sudden we expect to hold a criminal trial prior to forming an opinion.
A determination of guilt or innocence is a judicial finding, and should be held in a court of law. Determining whether someone is fit for employment is an employment decision, and your vote is that decision. You are the employer.
“allow the process to unfold” suggests that you use the Prison bar in making an employment decision. It also implies that you will delay making such a decision, and as such, the process will be lengthy. An investigation may take years to complete, but an election occurs every single year.
I’m not suggesting that accusations against anyone should lead to termination. Rumors aren’t evidence, and a complaint filed against someone isn’t a factual determination. The appropriate bar to apply in determining someone’s fitness for employment is the one everyone else uses in America – i.e., a judge/Jury/ethics committee/inspector general makes a determination based on evidence presented; when there is a determination made, then you are entitled to utilize that determination. That is the entire standard.
Before voting
Find the name of the candidate on your ballot whom you believe best protects your interests. Find the findings and not just rumors related to the candidate’s record. Next, ask yourself how you would answer this question regarding anyone else you consider employing: if i hired this person to care for my children or account for my money, based on his/her record would I hire them?
If you answered no, then ask yourself another question: how long am i delaying making this decision? Who pays while i wait?
Related read: Three Seats Opened in Eight Days
https://theranter.com/investigation/three-seats-opened-in-eight-days/
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