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Bill launched to restore freedom to form unions (11/13)

U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) joined workers, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, Communications Workers President Morton Bahr and Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Executive Director Wade Henderson on Capitol Hill Nov. 13 to announce the Employee Free Choice Act, historic bipartisan legislation to strengthen workers’ rights in America. The proposed legislation, sponsored by Kennedy and Miller, ensures that when a majority of employees in a workplace decide to form a union, they can do so without the debilitating obstacles employers now use to block their workers’ free choice. Half a million of America’s workers formed unions last year, and tens of millions more say they would like to have a union. Yet workers are routinely denied their choice to have a union because employers harass, coerce, intimidate – and even terminate – their employees to keep them from exercising their freedom to form a union. “Labor unions have led the fight for better wages and working conditions for millions of workers in our country. But too many workers who want to form a union are unable to do so. America’s workers deserve better,” said Kennedy. “Behind the closed doors of the workplaces of America, workers face incredible – often ruthless – opposition when they try to come together in a union,” said Sweeney. “This legislation is fundamental and much-needed backing for workers who want to have a real voice on the job.” According to Cornell University research, one quarter of private sector employers fire at least one worker during a union organizing campaign, and 90 percent of employers actively exert pressure to keep workers from forming a union. When employers violate workers' freedom to form unions, they hurt the entire community. When fewer workers have a union the standard of living for everyone falls, wages, health care coverage and pensions decline and the gap between the rich and poor grows. The proposed legislation ensures that, when a majority of employees in a workplace choose to form a union, their wishes must be respected by their employer. It also ensures that a contract will be negotiated in a timely fashion after workers succeed in forming a union. The proposed act also brings in stronger penalties for violations of the workers’ rights when they attempt to form a union or negotiate their first contract.