State lawmakers advanced bills yesterday that would make it easier for workers to unionize.

The bills allow workers to form a union when a majority sign pro-union cards. The cards are public, and that is what has caused many businesses to oppose the bill.

They want decisions to unionize to be made via a secret ballot vote, so workers don't feel coerced into supporting the union by their peers.

The state legislation, known widely as the card check bill, is similar to bills being debated in the U.S. Congress that have touched off a heated debate between unions and businesses.

"This bill is very anti-business as it eliminates the secret ballot," said state Rep. Barbara Marumoto, R-19th (Wai'alae Iki, Kalani Valley, Kahala), who believes the secret ballot helps ensure the integrity of elections. "It strips the rights of employers. I am very apprehensive about this bill."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the measure is an attempt by unions to reverse a decades-long slide in union membership.

Union activists say the current system gives an unfair advantage to employers, who can pressure employees in ways a union organizer can't in the workplace.

The legislation would also set a deadline for workers and management to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement.

Hawai'i, with 24.3 percent of its workforce unionized, is No. 2 in the nation for union membership. New York is first with 24.9 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

State Rep. Karl Rhoads, D-28th (Kaka'ako, Iwilei), the chairman of the House Labor Committee, said the bill would likely affect only a small number of workers in the agriculture industry.

"This gives workers the choice about what method to use. This will simply allow workers to have two separate choices," Rhoads said. "Some companies already use card check to see if their employees wish to unionize or not. This bill, as it is written now, affects very few companies."

Still, opponents of the bill say it has the potential to eliminate much of the debate among the employer, employees and union organizers on the merits of unionizing a company. Business groups say that's not what lawmakers should be promoting in a weak economy.

The bill also may not have sweeping applications in Hawai'i, as federal laws take precedence over the majority of the business sector.