Bill is Key to Reaching the Middle Class
Op Ed
Published: April 12, 2007
On the heels of House passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, Senator Kennedy has introduced the same bill in the Senate. The bill is the key to preserving a healthy middle class.
Our economic well-being depends on a stable middle class - a middle class that is being threatened by a shrinking supply of jobs with a livable wage, health care, job stability and retirement benefits. Union jobs provide these staples of middle class living, but they are being rubbed out by a union election process that unfairly favors unscrupulous employers over employees. It’s no coincidence that as these union jobs go by the wayside, the gap between the ultra rich and poor keeps widening.
There are 50 million workers today who say they’d join the union- but because of fierce employer opposition, most never get the chance. The bill aims to address this problem by creating a fair process for workers to decide on union membership, free from employer coercion. Regrettably, President Bush has promised to veto the bill, and Congressional Republicansare unlikely to stand with Democrats to override his veto.
Opponents of the bill claim the Employee Free Choice Act is ‘undemocratic’ and will result in unions “coercing” workers. In reality, the current system of secret ballot elections is ripe for bullying and intimidation - by employers not by unions. In the lead up to an election, employers often create such antagonistic and hostile environments at the workplace that workers put their well-founded concerns over employer retaliation ahead of any consideration of the pros and cons of unionization.
Typically, one out of every five workers who supports the union in an election is fired. In such cases it takes months, if not years, for the courts to order the re-instatement of those who were illegally fired.
EFCA helps make sure that workers have the opportunity to vote their conscience free from intimidation. The bill not only replaces the election process with a less confrontational alternative, it also strengthens penalties against employers who illegally harass and intimidate workers.
Anti-union ideologues, unscrupulous employers and naysayers may still cling to erroneous notions that unions are self-serving, special interest groups. But the truth is labor unions have a track record of supporting progressive legislation - from defending civil rights.By giving workers the right to choose, the Employee Free Choice Act has the potential to improve the wellbeing of our communities by safeguarding a stable middle class and strengthening our economy.
Not long ago we could boast that anyone willing to work hard could find success, but our country is rapidly becoming the land of opportunity for only a privileged few. It is therefore imperative that we muster the will to pass the Employee Free Choice Act and other legislation to help working families. If we don’t change our course, middle class families will continue to be left out.
Mike Fishman is the president of SEIU 32BJ in New York.