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Rep. Ellison Shows How to Support Employee Free Choice |
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As the new Congress kicks off its first week and we prepare for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, now is the time for political leaders to speak out for the freedom of workers to form unions and bargain for a better life.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is a great example of how a political leader can educate the public and fight for workers as we work to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
Ellison and other pro-worker members of Congress have come under fire from deep-pocketed Big Business lobbyists and corporate front groups that are expending millions on disinformation and false attack ads to scare voters and elected officials alike. But Ellison, an Employee Free Choice Act co-sponsor, doesn’t scare so easily.
In the final weeks of his first re-election campaign, Ellison dedicated a radio ad not on his own behalf, but in strong support of the Employee Free Choice Act for workers who need the freedom to bargain. In this ad, as he’s done frequently in recent months, Ellison cut through the corporate rhetoric and spin to explain why the Employee Free Choice Act matters to working families and the economy. You can listen to the ad here.
Here’s Ellison’s argument:
You’ve probably seen those attack ads claiming some candidates want to take away your right to a secret ballot in union elections. Plain and simple, these are lies paid for by CEOs who negotiate lavish salaries for themselves but don’t want you to be able to bargain for a better life for yourself and your family.
In reality, the Employee Free Choice Act would strengthen your freedom to choose union representation. It protects the right to a secret ballot. It gives workers more ways to bargain together for health care benefits and fair wages. On average, workers who belong to unions earn 30 percent more and are much more likely to have health and pension benefits.
Politicians who support the Employee Free Choice Act, like me, want to provide a fairer way for working men and women to rebuild America’s middle class. I urge you to support candidates who support the Employee Free Choice Act and to reject the lies of those CEOs who want to continue lining their pockets while they keep picking yours.
Ellison won re-election with 71 percent of the vote—not by running from his support for workers, but by working to educate his constituents about the Employee Free Choice Act and what we need to do to make the economy work for everyone.
With the public strongly in support of the freedom to form unions and bargain, Ellison’s success should be an example to other political leaders.
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Another Reason Why We Need The EFCA NOW!
Starbucks plans to settle another labor complaint
By Melissa Allison Seattle Times business reporter
Starbucks has reached a settlement in principle over a Michigan barista whom the National Labor Relations Board said was fired in June because of his union activities.
An administrative trial that was scheduled for today has been canceled, and the agreement is expected to be signed this week, said Chet Byerly, resident officer for the NLRB in Grand Rapids. He would not disclose details of the proposed agreement.
A Starbucks spokeswoman confirmed that it is working on a settlement.
It is the third time in a month that Starbucks has faced action from the NLRB regarding the Industrial Workers of the World union.
Last month, an NLRB administrative law judge found that Starbucks took part in unfair labor practices at several of its New York cafes.
Last week, the Seattle chain settled a separate NLRB dispute in Michigan.
All three cases were initiated by baristas affiliated with the IWW, a century-old union that has worked for several years to improve conditions for Starbucks workers.
In New York last month, an NLRB judge ordered Starbucks to give back jobs to three former workers and compensate them for lost earnings. The company also must post notices informing employees of their labor-organizing rights.
Starbucks plans to appeal the ruling, according to spokeswoman Tara Darrow.
Such appeals often take a year and might last longer now that the NLRB’s board has lost three of its five members, said University of Tennessee law professor Jeff Hirsch, a former attorney at the NLRB.
Last week’s settlement stemmed from a complaint that barista and IWW member Cole Dorsey made to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration about a leaky air conditioner.
In interviewing at least one Starbucks worker about the matter, attorneys at a local law firm representing Starbucks neglected to issue legally required warnings that help prevent coercive questioning.
“We contend that these warnings are not necessary when dealing with an occupational safety charge. The NLRB disagreed,” Darrow said in an e-mail. “We elected to settle the matter to avoid litigation.”
Starbucks did not admit wrongdoing but must post a notice in the affected store in Grand Rapids “saying they won’t do it again,” said NLRB Regional Director Stephen Glasser.
Dorsey, the barista who complained about the air conditioner, was fired in June after working for Starbucks almost two years. The NLRB charges that he was dismissed because of his union activities.
He was fired eight months after Starbucks and the IWW settled an agreement over unionizing efforts by employees at his Grand Rapids store. At that time, Starbucks agreed to post notices in that store advising employees of their unionizing rights.
Such settlements never come with fines and rarely with admissions of wrongdoing. The Employee Free Choice Act, which stalled in the last session of Congress, would allow the NLRB to order fines in some situations, according to former NLRB attorney Hirsch. The bill faces strong opposition from the business community.
In October, Starbucks settled a similar complaint in Minneapolis regarding another employee who claimed he was fired for encouraging co-workers to join the IWW.
By Poster: This is one more reason why we need the Employee Free Choice Act Now!
http://www.employeefreechoiceactnow.org/