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The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) overcame another hurdle Thursday as the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed this important piece of legislation that will take a giant step toward restoring the strength of the middle class and empowering the nation's workers.
"This vote reflects the will of the people and we must make sure this important bill becomes law," said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. "President Bush must act in the best interest of our nation and sign EFCA." Wednesday the White House issued an open threat to EFCA supporters, promising a presidential veto if the bill makes it through the Senate claiming it denies workers the chance to participate in a democratic election. "It is irresponsible and reckless of this president to deny workers a path to unionization that is free of employer coercion and intimidation," Hoffa said. "There is nothing more democratic then free choice, and that is what EFCA offers workers who seek union representation." EFCA, introduced with bipartisan support, is the first major attempt to reform labor law since the 1970s. The idea behind EFCA is simple: Most any American can join a group — a church group, the PTA at their child's school, or the National Rifle Association — by signing a card and paying dues. With EFCA, if a majority at a workplace wants to build a union, they sign cards and the employer recognizes their wishes. Negotiations for a labor contract begin soon after. Landmark Employee Free Choice Act Passes U.S. House In an historic victory for working families, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Employee Free Choice Act late Thursday night, making it clear to corporate America that workers — after years of exile by political opponents — can't and won't be ignored in Washington, D.C. Democratic leaders kept a promise made before and after last fall's election that they would push the party's new majority to pass the landmark workers' rights legislation soon after taking office. The vote was 241-185, with 13 Republicans and all but two Democrats voting in favor. "Congress today has recognized that collective bargaining is critical in this democracy as it is in every other democracy around the world," CWA President Larry Cohen said. "Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act by the House of Representative is a first step towards restoring the core of the preamble of the Act passed 70 years ago that commits our government to promote collective bargaining in the workplace, not an endless legal battle with management declaring war on their own employees." CWA members and leaders joined thousands of other union activists for rallies, media events and other action last week to push for passage of the measure as members of Congress made trips to their home districts. Members with personal stories of struggles against employers to organize and bargain were among the featured speakers at events. They include Comcast technician John Pezzano, vice president of his Pittsburgh unit of CWA Local 13000, and Local 2204 member Teresa Joyce, whose Virginia call center was only able to organize when union-friendly Cingular took over from AT&T. Noting the high-paid lawyers and "union-avoidance" consultants fueling the corporate side of the debate, Pezzano drew a sharp line between what he called the "anti-union industry" and the workers speaking out on the other side. "I do not get paid if people go union. I don't earn a living organizing. I don't earn any more money if other people are better paid," he said. "I do this because of what I had to go through, what I saw with my own eyes, the injustice being done." The Employee Free Choice Act would allow workers to organize when a majority at a worksite signs cards seeking representation. The law calls for first-contract arbitration if parties can't come to agreement and strengthens penalties for employers who break labor laws. At news conferences and in testimony on Capitol Hill, workers described a similar pattern of threats, intimidation and even firings to keep unions at bay, followed by stalling tactics – when workers voted to organize anyway – to drag out contract negotiations indefinitely. The current system is broken. Workers, after expressing their desire to form a union, usually endure nasty, bruising, and lawyer-dominated elections, as the employer fights to block its employees' choice, often employing illegal tactics such as firing workers. Throughout American history, unions, not corporations, have improved the lives of working Americans. The eight-hour hour day, weekends, paid sick leave, paid vacations and the Family Medical Leave Act were all fought for and won by unions. The Bush administration has done everything within its power to weaken unions and the middle class, including attacking the collective bargaining rights of federal workers and taking away overtime pay and collective bargaining rights for millions of private sector workers. EFCA would put democracy back in the workplace and protect workers from the abuses of anti-union employers. A 2005 study by the University of Illinois at Chicago found that 30 percent of employers fire pro-union workers; 49 percent of employers threaten to close a worksite when workers try to unionize; 82 percent of employers hire union-busting consultants to fight organizing drives; and 91 percent of employers force employees to attend anti-union meetings one-on-one with supervisors. |
