Employee Free Choice Act

Despite opposition from anti-union Senators, the Employee Free Choice Act (HR800, S1041) refuses to go quietly into the night and promises to be one of the mostly widely debated workforce issues going into the 2008 election cycle.

The legislation represents the strongest attempt in 70 years to reverse the erosion of fundamental workers’ rights. If passed, workers would be allowed to form unions by signing authorization cards for representation, mediation and arbitration would be provided for first-contract disputes, and stronger penalties would be imposed for violating employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first-contract negotiations.

Last March, the bill passed the House of Representatives by a 241-185 vote. When the bipartisan legislation moved to the Senate, a procedural vote on June 26th failed to gain the necessary 60 votes to end debate and move on to a final vote.

In the week leading up to the Senate vote, supporters of the bill came out in droves to defend the legislation. More than 50,000 phone calls, 156,000 faxes and email messages, and 220,000 postcards went out to Senators. On June 19th, 4,500 workers and elected officials rallied for the bill’s passage on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

As of July 20, 2007, 18 governors had signed a letter in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. More than 1,350 lawmakers in 70 states, county and city legislative bodies have passed resolutions or signed letters supporting the Act, and seven presidential candidates have voiced their support. Research shows that 77 percent of Americans support strong laws that give workers the power to choose to join a union without interference from their employer. Research also shows 60 million U.S. workers would join a union if afforded the opportunity.