SEARCH
Employee Free Choice Act: No More Fear in Workers’ Eyes |
|
 |
|
|
The North Dakota Democratic Caucus passed a resolution supporting the Employee Free Choice Act. From left, State AFL-CIO President David L. Kemnitz, U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, State Senate Minority Leader David O’Connell and State House Minority Leader Merle Boucher.
|
The Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800) is set for its first full U.S. House vote March 1.
Working family activists from Buffalo, N.Y., to Olympia, Wash., have used the last few days of the congressional recess to tell the general public and their lawmakers that a strong middle class depends in part on workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life free from employer intimidation and harassment.
During the past week plus, workers in more than 100 cities met with members of Congress and community leaders to push for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Actions included conferences, worker roundtables, rallies and other gatherings, with workers and union and community leaders meeting with at least 130 members of Congress.
On Friday in Buffalo, several dozen workers from unions in the Western New York Area Labor Federation held a news conference with Rep. Brian Higgins (D), one of the bill’s 233 co-sponsors. He says support for the bill is growing and that despite President Bush’s veto threat:
It will be enacted sooner rather than later…Now because the Democratic Congress is standing up for working folks, the president is all of sudden going to be aggressive with his veto pen?
The Employee Free Choice Act also played well in Peoria on Friday. About 150 members from unions in the West Central Illinois Labor Council rallied and then marched to the district office of Rep. Ray LaHood (R), where a delegation asked to meet with him. LaHood, who is not one of several Republican co-sponsors of the bill, was not in the office, but a staffer met with the workers.
State lawmakers also are signaling their support. In North Dakota last week, the joint House-Senate Democratic Caucus passed a resolution supporting passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D), who backs the Senate version, attended the caucus and urged members to back the resolution.
Meanwhile in Olympia, Wash., U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee (D) testified before a state House Commerce and Labor Committee hearing on a resolution in support of the act. Here’s more from the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) Legislative Update:
Inslee described how, when working as a cement truck driver in Oregon years ago, his company’s drivers discussed forming a union. He recalled the fear in the eyes of his co-workers—fear that they would get fired for exercising their legal rights. “When we pass this Employee Free Choice Act, workers won’t have that fear any more,” he said. “We have democracy in Congress. We have democracy here in the legislature. We need to restore democracy in the workplace.”
Click here, here and here to read more about the Employee Free Choice Act week of action.
2 Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I viewed this as soon as it was up if you haven’t already don’t miss it. This is a matter of human well being in every aspect.
No one should live in fear of reprisals from their employer. It is a disgusting way to do business. It seems as if corporate greed has replaced the Employee Free Choice Act. I will never understand why working families who labor to produce corporate profits cannot form a Union to protect their jobs. This is America, the Land of the Free. We have freedom of choice in this country and since that is the case, let the working families have freedom of choice as to whether or not to organize without hindering their job security.