Senate Majority Votes for Employee Free Choice

The battle for the Employee Free Choice Act has moved to the 2008 election after a handful of obstructionist senators blocked a vote on the bill.

However, momentum for the bill (S. 1041) continues to grow. The grassroots movement behind this legislation is bigger and more exciting than anyone believed last year. Working families across the country mounted a massive campaign to win passage of the bill.

Please take a moment to tell your senators that the obstruction by a minority of Republicans in the Senate is shameful and will be remembered.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Stop Obstructing the Employee Free Choice Act

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

A majority of the Senate has voted in support of the Employee Free Choice Act.

But you, along with a minority of Republican senators, successfully blocked working people from gaining more bargaining power in the workplace.

This obstruction is shameful, and it will be remembered.

As momentum behind this critical legislation continues to build, I urge you to reconsider your opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act. Those who continue to support our current broken system will find themselves on the wrong side of history.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
June 26, 2007


Background Information

Union members know the best way for working families to get ahead is by bargaining collectively and gaining a union contract. Union members earn better wages, get better benefits and have better working conditions. We also have a real voice on the job, and the strength of millions of brothers and sisters gives us a powerful voice in the community and the nation.

But the system for forming unions and bargaining for a better life is broken. It’s been perverted by employers who use it to intimidate, harass, coerce and even fire workers who just want to work together with their colleagues for a better deal. A fair deal.

The Employee Free Choice Act will restore a level playing field for workers. It will strengthen the penalties against companies that block workers’ freedom to choose for ourselves whether to form unions and bargain. It will bring in mediation and arbitration when employees and employers cannot reach a first contract. And it will allow working people to form unions when a majority signs authorization cards—without the conflict, disruption and intimidation employers routinely inflict on us now.