Support the Employee Free Choice Act

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The Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800, S. 1041) would amend the National Labor Relations Act by allowing the certification of a union as the bargaining representative of a unit of employees if the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finds that a majority of these employees signed authorization cards designating a particular union as their bargaining representative.

Under the current system, if 30% of potential members sign authorization cards designating a union as their bargaining representative, an NLRB supervised election would take place. Employers currently have the option of allowing their employees to choose a union based on the submission of authorization cards signed by a majority of employees. The Employee Free Choice Act would create a mandatory card check system.

In addition to establishing a card check system based on the submission of authorization cards by a majority of employees, the Employee Free Choice Act also establishes mediation and arbitration procedures in the event that there is a deadlock between the employer and the union in regard to the negotiation of a first contract.

It should be noted by labor union members and working people that the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is one of the top priorities of organized labor. The adoption of this legislation will make it easier for working people to join labor unions by minimizing employer coercion and intimidation against employees who are involved in organizing drives or who simply want to join a union.

The current system is badly broken because it takes weeks or even months for the NLRB to organize elections. During that time, employers frequently use their power to lobby against unionization. It is not uncommon for employers to go beyond lobbying and resort to more coercive tactics i.e. predicting future plant closures should their employees unionize, or telling employees that they will be replaced should they unionize and go on strike. It has become increasingly common for employers to fire employees who are involved in organizing efforts. In fact, employees are fired in one quarter of private sector union organizing drives (source: AFL-CIO http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion).

Finally, the Employee Free Choice Act is necessary to reverse the decline in the standard of living of American workers. During the Bush years, wages have stagnated. Only 38% of Americans say that there families are getting ahead. Fewer than a quarter of American believe that the next generations standard of living will be better than todays standard of living. Six million fewer Americans have health insurance now than in in 1995 (source: Testimony of Nancy Schiffer, Associate General Counsel, AFL-CIO, before the Subcommittee of Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, U.S. House, February 8, 2007).

The value of collective bargaining can be clearly illustrated by the following statistics: union workers earn 30% more than non-union workers. Women who belong to unions earn 31% more than women who do not. African Americans who belong to unions earn 36% more than non-unionized African American workers. Finally, latinos who are unionized earn 46% more than those latino workers who do not belong to a union (source: Testimony of Nancy Schiffer, Associate General Counsel, AFL-CIO, before the Subcommittee of Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, U.S. House, February 8, 2007).

It is generally anticipated that the Democrats will gain seats in congress after this Novembers congressional elections. Hopefully, with solidly Democratic majorities in both houses of congress and the election of Barack Obama as president, the Employee Free Choice Act will be enacted into law after languishing in the Senate since it was filibustered by the Republicans on June 26, 2007 and the Democrats lacked the votes (60) to cut off debate.

Please vote for Barack Obama for president and for pro-Employee Free Choice Act Democratic candidates for congress. Once they take office, urge them to support the Employee Free Choice Act.