Letter to the House of Representatives urging them to support H.R. 800.
February 28, 2007
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), I urge you to support H.R. 800, the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a bipartisan bill that would restore fairness into the workplace by helping America’s workers bargain for better wages, benefits and health and safety protections.
Today, the right of American workers to freely choose whether to form a union exists mostly on paper. While this fundamental right is part of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and many international human rights accords, it is rarely exercised in the workplace. Currently, one American worker is fired or discriminated against every 23 minutes because he or she is exercising their legal right to form a union. American workers’ rights are paper-only rights. They are effectively denied the right of freedom of association and to bargain collectively because already weak labor laws are compromised still further by even weaker enforcement. Employers have increasingly used practices of intimidation and harassment, both legal and illegal, to frustrate the will of workers to choose a union.
The Employee Free Choice Act would protect employees who exercise their right to choose a union free from employer coercion and would restore and strengthen the ability of workers to join a union in the following ways:
First, the bill permits workers to designate their choice of a union through a method known as “card check.” The bill provides for the certification of a union as the bargaining representative if the National Labor Relations Board finds that a majority of employees in an appropriate unit has signed authorizations designating the union as its bargaining representative.
Moreover, the bill establishes first contract mediation and arbitration. It provides that if an employer and a union are engaged in bargaining for their first contract and are unable to reach agreement within 90 days, either party may refer the dispute to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) for mediation. If the FMCS has been unable to bring the parties to agreement after 30 days of mediation the dispute will be referred to arbitration and the results of the arbitration shall be binding on the parties for two years. Time limits may be extended by mutual agreement of the parties. And, the bill establishes stronger penalties for violations of labor laws while employees are attempting to organize or obtain a first contract.
When unions decline, the future for America’s middle-class is put in jeopardy: wages lag, inequality grows and insecurity deepens. Help restore fairness and support H.R. 800, and oppose any weakening amendments.
Sincerely,
GERALD W. McENTEE
International President
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Raymond Summers
Council 31, Illinois
"I'm not a Democrat or a Republican, but I am a proud city employee. I support candidates who are on our side. And after they win, I make sure they vote for legislation that supports public services."
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