The Coalition to Pass the Employee Free Choice Act

Last night, for the first time in a generation, legislation guaranteeing real labor law reform passed a markup in the House Education and Labor Committee.

The right of workers to organize and bargain collectively is a fundamental human freedom. Not only is it a longstanding American value but it is a core standard that the United States uses to to measure democratic norms in a number of nations throughout the world.

Yet, while we judge others abroad on their standards of freedom, this basic human right is denied to millions of Americans.

A growing coalition of groups from across the national spectrum have signed on in support of this important legislation.  

Groups such as the NAACP, Alliance for Retired Americans, Center for American Progress, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Democratic National Committee, Democratic Leadership Council, Earth Action Network, Human Rights Watch, Leadership Council on Civil Rights, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Sierra Club, the Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ, and Unitarian Church.

They signed on to restore democracy and economic opportunity to millions who have never had it.  In 2005, 30,000 workers were illegally fired or discriminated against for exercising a basic human right. Each year, an average of 23,000 people are fired or lose gainful employment - yet nothing is done.  No legislation.  Maybe a few pathetic attempts at redress from the government, but nothing else.

The tragic result of this dramatic miscarriage of justice is that 60 million workers who are not represented by a union have stated that they would like to be represented. These 60 million workers equate to more than three times the number of workers presently represented by unions in the United States.

It's no secret that families today are struggling to pay for health care, provide for retirement, get their children through college and keep enough spare change to fill up at the gas tank.  

But unfortunately, the system is rigged by a series of bad laws and legislation against them. Today's system for forming unions and bargaining is badly beyond repair under its present form.

When it comes to choosing between having some more pay or just having a paycheck people will choose to have a paycheck because at least their lives and economic conditions are not spiraling downwards. Employers know this and take advantage of this with machiavellian campaigns designed to keep their workers from having any real freedom to decide whether or not to have a negotiated contract with their employer.

The Employee Free Choice Act will level the playing field to give workers the ability to bargain for better wages and benefits without employer interference. It will provide for  real penalties for employers that violate their workers' freedoms and livelihood.  It would allow a neutral party to determine a first contract if the company and employees cannot reach an agreement.  And it would enable workers to form unions when a majority indicates its will in writing that it wants one.
 
The House Education and Labor Committee, led by Rep. George Miller (D-CA.), took a major step toward restoring workers' freedom. It's time for the rest of Congress to take that work further by restoring a nation that works for all working Americans.

This coming fight in the House and in the senate will be vigorous and fierce.  All of us can take part in it by sending a Letter to the Editor of your local newspapers and by thanking the bipartisan list of co-sponsors or by urging those who have not signed on yet to do so.