Your Help Needed to Pass Employee Free Choice Act

By Michael Tursky,
Secretary-Treasurer, UFCW 8-Golden State

Our country is supposed to guarantee the rights of workers to join Unions. But our reality often falls short of our ideals. Supporters of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would make it easier for workers to join Unions, knew that on June 26 when a minority of legislators managed to block a vote on the bill in the United States Senate. But Americans who favor justice and freedom for working people will keep coming back until Congress passes the bill and it is signed into law.

When that happens, the obstacles that confront workers who try to organize themselves — obstacles that include anti-Union harassment, threats and heavy-handed corporate propaganda campaigns — will be greatly reduced.

The EFCA calls for a simple “card check” system in which, when a majority of workers sign a card authorizing a Union to represent them, that Union is quickly certified and able to bargain on behalf of the employees.

The act also imposes meaningful penalties on employers who fire and intimidate workers who are trying to organize or join a Union. Such behavior is supposedly illegal under current laws, but employers who flout these laws have little or no incentive to obey them.

What would passage of the EFCA mean for workers who choose to organize? Among other things, it means an extra $200 each week in their pockets. On average, that’s how much more Union members make on the job than non-Union workers.

That doesn’t take into account the better health care and retirement benefits that Union workers receive.
 
A report released by the Campaign for America’s Future forecasts that 3.5 million more people would get health insurance and 2.7 million more would gain pension benefits if and when the EFCA becomes law.

The Employee Free Choice Act is obviously a good deal for workers. Surveys indicate that more than two thirds of Americans agree that this legislation is a step in the right direction.

But powerful lobbyists and public relations teams funded by big corporations want to maintain the current atmosphere of intimidation and fear that accompanies many organizing campaigns.

 
Leading the pack against change are anti-Union heavyweights like the National Right to Work Committee, the Center for Union Facts and other right-wing policy centers.

Overcoming these well-funded and influential forces will require intense and sustained political action by Unions and those who sympathize with our cause. That means you.

Start by telling your representatives in Congress that their stance on the EFCA will influence your vote in the next election.

Talk to your coworkers about the importance of this legislation and the need to generate interest for the act in non-Union circles, where employees aren’t already familiar with the benefits of working Union. Finally, as the 2008 elections approach, contribute your time and money to support pro-Union candidates at all levels of government, from your local city council to the presidency of the United States.

The Employee Free Choice Act is a fantastic opportunity for Unions and workers all across this nation. We must keep fighting to pass this act until we win.