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House Recess Begins, Fight for Employee Free Choice Continues
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Members of the U.S. House return home today for a monthlong recess, and the U.S. Senate is set to adjourn at the end of the week. Back home, lawmakers already are hearing from union activists and our allies in the field who are telling them to vote for the Employee Free Choice Act.
As the AFL-CIO’s Stewart Acuff noted at a rally in Colorado last week, working men and women around the country need to speak out for the freedom to form unions and bargain:
“Victory is in our reach. Turning Around America is up to us…the President can’t do it by himself. It’s up to us to make him a great president. Winning health care for all, creating good jobs and fair trade, and restoring the freedom to organize and bargain are a matter of mobilizing the most effective ground campaign in our history. One and a half million workers signed the Million Member Mobilization, tens of thousands have taken action, it’s up to us to move hundreds of thousands to turn around America, to restore economic health and growth.”
Union members and allies around the country are stepping up to the challenge. In Virginia, union members held a rally in Roanoke to encourage Sen. Jim Webb to vote in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act. In Louisiana, Communications Workers of America (CWA) members rallied in Baton Rouge for the Employee Free Choice Act and against unfair anti-union corporate tactics. They signed petitions to their senators, Mary Landrieu and David Vitter, asking them to stand with workers on Employee Free Choice. And in Arkansas, members of the AFL-CIO community affiliate, Working America, delivered more than 3,400 letters to Sen. Blanche Lincoln, adding to the tens of thousands of letters she’s already received in support of Employee Free Choice Act.
As Aaron Plikat, a member of the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters (UA) from Alaska, notes, it’s important to remember why this bill matters—because it will give workers the tools they need to bargain for a better life, and a stronger economy for all:
The Employee Free Choice Act is the first piece of legislation that’s going to give people a fair shake and a fair deal at the table. I’ve witnessed on several campaigns the fear, the intimidation, the closed-door meetings, the problem of winning but never getting the company to bargain in good faith, and the retaliation against employees after years’ worth of negotiations that never came through.
It’s time to start seeing a change in this country. I think this is going to be the best way we can get that change.
Check back for updates about actions around the country in support of Employee Free Choice during this critical summer.
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2 Comments
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Change Change Change,there is no CHANGE our great President as you put it is just another lying politican,and the AFL-CIO has bought it again.Remember no tax hikes on the middle class give it a little more time and you’ll see that too.If the AFL-CIO can’t fiqure it out most of the middle class has,there is no help for us and the Democrats have lied to us again.Next election vote against them all and pray someone runs as an Independent that can actually win.You can march, you can write you, can phone call but in the end the lobbyist with the most money will win.Oh yeah get ready to get screwed on health care too.
Have you forgotten to take your medication, Dr?