For Immediate Release
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Until Congress Acts, Right To Join A Union Exists Primarily On Paper
AFSCME’s McEntee: “It’s time to put some teeth back into our labor laws”
WASHINGTON —Gerald W. McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, issued the following statement today as the Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives:
“Employers are routinely denying workers the basic American right to associate freely and join together for a voice at work. The Employee Free Choice Act will put some teeth back into our labor laws, because right now management can run roughshod over the rights of workers with the blessing of the labor board.
“Every 23 minutes, an American worker is fired or discriminated against for trying to join a union. There is now an entire cottage legal industry dedicated to helping businesses foil workers who try to unionize. Sadly, their business is booming.
“The Employee Free Choice Act will give employees the freedom to make their own choices about whether to have a union, without interference by management. Until Congress acts, the right to join a union exists primarily on paper.”
