"We have all been touched by Senator Edward Kennedy and his leadership on behalf of working families for over 47 years. He doggedly fought to improve health care, raise the minimum wage, and protect workers’ rights, most recently through his sponsorship of the Employee Free Choice Act.
I will remember him personally as a wonderful, caring colleague. His willingness to think beyond himself, and champion issues of social and economic justice, will be remembered by all.”
Despite over-the-top-rhetoric from opponents of workers’ rights, majority sign-up is a fair, democratic process for workers to form unions. Research has shown that coercion or pressure is much rarer in majority sign-up campaigns than in NLRB elections.
Significantly, Senator Arlen Specter announced to the conference that he would support cloture on the Employee Free Choice Act. His announcement was a positive sign that leaders are heeding the call of working families who want to see real labor law reform this year.
On his first day as a U.S. Senator, Al Franken was already standing up for workers. Just hours after being sworn in, he signed on as a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act.
Recently published opinion pieces from a wide variety of voices—including economics professors, a leading advocate for working women, an Arkansas state representative, and a well-known political expert—have made a strong case for the Employee Free Choice Act as critical to economic recovery.
A piece in the Denver Post by Linda Meric, executive director of 9to5 , the National Association of Working Women, called the Employee Free Choice Act an important way to address the gender-based pay gap and provide economic security for low-wage women and their families. Read more.
Political strategist Paul Begala argued in Politico that the Employee Free Choice Act will help the economy work for everyone again. Highlighting the contrast between real workers who were fired for union activity and CEOs making millions while companies go under, Begala took on the corporate interests trying to protect the status quo. Read more.
Maine economics professors Michael Hillard and David Vail urged Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins to support the Employee Free Choice Act as “an excellent opportunity to correct a failure of human rights while rebuilding a solid foundation for shared economic prosperity.” Read more.
Arkansas State Representative Richard Carroll supported the Employee Free Choice Act in the North Little Rock Times: “As a member of the state Legislature, I have seen first-hand the devastating effects of poverty-level wages on my constituents and the community at large. Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act would ensure that workers have the livable wages guaranteed by a union contract.” Read more.
New statements from religious leaders and women's organizations add to the voices calling for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act:
Last week, the Episcopal Church joined the growing chorus of faith leaders who support the Employee Free Choice Act. They passed a resolution, "Fix Our Broken Labor Laws," asking Congress and the president to restore workers' freedom to form unions and bargain for better wages and benefits.
A dozen of the nation's leading women's organizations sent a letter to every member of Congress this week, calling on them to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. Organized by the National Partnership for Women and Families, the groups believe the bill will help provide women with the health benefits, retirement plans, and family-friendly policies that come with a union contract.
These are just a few of the groups supporting this key legislation: read more about the growing number of organizations inside and out of the labor
movement care about workers' rights and the Employee Free Choice Act.
The chorus of voices supporting the Employee Free Choice Act makes us confident that, despite speculation, significant labor law
reform that remains true to the principles of the Employee Free Choice
Act will pass this year. Workers must have a fair path to choose
to form a union, penalties must be enacted for employers who violate
the law, and we must prevent companies from using endless delays and
stall tactics to deny workers a collective bargaining agreement.
It's the right thing to do.
Unions could improve workplace policies for millions of working
families if Employee Free Choice Act becomes law
A new report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center and the Labor Project for Working Families shows how unions make workplaces more family-friendly:
Workers in unions are more likely to have heard of the Family and Medical Leave Act, have fewer worries about taking leave, and are more likely to receive fully paid and partially paid leaves.
Among hourly workers, 46 percent of union members receive full pay while on family and medical leave, compared to 29 percent of non-union workers.
Workers in unions are 1.3 times as likely as non-union workers to be allowed to use their own sick time to care for a sick child, and are 50 percent more likely to have paid personal leave that can be used to care for sick children.
As the report's co-author, Netsy Firestein, said, “As Congress prepares to debate the Employee Free Choice Act in coming months, policymakers should understand that unions have helped improve workplace policies for thousands of working families and could do the same things for millions of families if EFCA becomes the law of the land."
"As of about half an hour ago, I became the co-sponsor of my first piece of legislation in the Senate. And it's something called the Employee Free Choice Act."
That's what Al Franken said just hours after being sworn in as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota!
To thank him for his support, we're putting together a huge welcome card.
Senator Franken has already taken a strong stand for workers. But he's up against some serious opposition, so he needs
our support and encouragement. As our economy continues to slide, an
army of Big Business lobbyists continues to fight relentlessly against
workers having a fair shake. Take a moment to welcome Senator Franken —
thank him for being a leader on this issue and remind him how important
it is that he keep fighting.
The latest ad in our series makes the case for arbitration as a critical part of the Employee Free Choice Act. One full year after workers form unions, over half are still denied a contract by their employers. And two years later, 37% of workers still have no contract.
As our ad points out, arbitration will put a stop to unfair delay tactics used by Big Business and ensure negotiations will be completed in a fair an efficient manner.
This online ad is part of a series of newspaper and online ads on arbitration, which is a critical part of the Employee Free Choice Act.
Roll over the ad with your mouse to see the CEO -- representing Big Business -- contradict himself.
Then, click on the ad or the links below to learn more about how many large companies are happy to support arbitration... but only when it’s in their best interest!
A growing, bipartisan coalition of policymakers supports the Employee
Free Choice Act, federal legislation that would ensure workers have a
free choice and a fair chance to form a union.
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