by James Parks, Jul 2, 2007

Now that a handful of obstructionist senators have blocked a vote on the Employee Free Choice Act, it’s time to give workers some respect—the RESPECT Act that is.

So writes Rick Bender, president of the Washington State Labor Council.  In his weekly column, Bender points out that President Bush and the Republicans have taken every opportunity to bat down workers’ free choice to join a union.

Bush even went so far as to deny Homeland Security Department employees the right to a union because amazingly he argued unions are an impediment to national security. But the Bush administration’s most sweeping attack on working people came last year when the Republican-led National Labor Relations Board  (NLRB) redefined and expanded the category of “supervisor.” Supervisory workers are not eligible to form unions. Under the NLRB’s new definition, supervisors now include a broad array of “skilled” or “experienced” workers—nurses, construction workers, painters, welders, electricians and other workers in nearly every industry—who occasionally assign tasks to or direct the work of less-skilled or less-experienced workers. 

The RESPECT Act (S. 969 and H.R. 1644) introduced in March would restore the freedom to form unions to workers harmed by the NLRB’s ruling. Bender quotes Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, who says: 

Employers shouldn’t be able to take away someone’s rights under the guise of giving them a promotion. The RESPECT Act protects workers and ensures livable wages, comprehensive benefits and decent working conditions. Our country’s labor practices were founded on workers’ ability to organize and fight for their rights. The RESPECT Act continues this tradition.

 Or as Bender says:  

Let’s hope that the RESPECT Act gets the bipartisan support it deserves, and restores the freedom of association for millions of Americans. 

Click here to read the column.

The full name for the RESPECT Act is the Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradeworkers Act.   

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