AFSCME Members Take Action on EFCA
April 16, 2009
It’s time to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and put an end to the threats and coercion that make it all but impossible for many workers to join a union. That’s why AFSCME members – folks who’ve seen the value of union membership firsthand – are calling, e-mailing and meeting directly with elected officials across the nation to encourage passage of this critical federal legislation.
Currently, federal law protects a worker's right to form a union. In practice, the rules are skewed in favor of the employer. EFCA would even the playing field, allowing workers to form a union by signing cards authorizing union representation without being harassed by their employers. It also includes increased penalties for breaking the law. Now, penalties are so slight that companies consider them the cost of doing business. Workers – the backbone of America – deserve greater respect.
Many across our nation know that. Recent polling shows 78 percent of Americans favor legislation to make it easier for workers to form unions and bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions. Most of those questioned specifically support EFCA.
AFSCME members are taking action to help their non-union sisters and brothers who want the same contract protections and benefits that they have. Last month, Colorado Council 76 hosted an annual Town Hall Meeting in Denver. There, lawmakers heard why it is so important to pass EFCA. Listen to what AFL-CIO Executive Director Mike Cerbo said about EFCA at the gathering.
In Wisconsin, at a recent meeting of AFSCME’s statewide Political Steering Committee, Council 40 Pres. Michael Murphy signed letters to the state’s congressional delegation on behalf of 45,000 local government and private sector employees who are members of the Wisconsin PEOPLE Conference, a political action organization.
Murphy, who is also an AFSCME International vice president, made it crystal clear that passing EFCA is essential, especially in these tough economic times. He wrote, “With our economy in a free fall, working families need a fair chance to get ahead, to bargain with their employers for a better life.”
Each member of the steering committee also took time during the meeting to write a personal letter supporting EFCA to U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.).
Unions helped create the middle class. After the economic devastation wrought by the short-sighted policies of the Bush administration, it is more essential than ever that working people have a chance to regain their ability to live the American Dream. Passing EFCA is an essential step on that path.
Learn more about the Employee Free Choice Act.
