by Zach Carter, Media Consortium MediaWire Blogger
It's official: The U.S. economy has been in a recession for a year and a half and many of the economic troubles worrying progressives in 2007 have yet to be addressed. While the Obama administration has taken steps to relieve some problems, a series of counterproductive bailouts, woefully inadequate labor laws and rampant inequality are still in urgent need of attention.
If you sign up to join a union, you won't face coercion or intimidation from your co-workers-or employers. Despite dire warnings by corporations against the majority sign-up process, a new study shows majority sign-up (card-check) protects workers and gives them the chance they need to form a union. It's another critical point in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would give workers across the country the choice about how to form a union and bargain for a better life.
The study, "Majority Authorizations and Union Organizing in the Public Sector: A Four-State Perspective," written by top labor policy scholars under the direction of Robert Bruno of the University of Illinois, looks at the experience of four states (New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Oregon) where public-sector workers have the freedom to form unions through majority sign-up. If passed, the Employee Free Choice Act would give millions of workers the option of using either majority sign-up or a National Labor Relations Board election to form a union.
Today on Capitol Hill, labor law experts and a California worker exposed the ugly truth about corporate abuses of workers trying to exercise their freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life.
Bronfenbrenner has studied these issues for decades as the director of labor education research at Cornell University's School of Industrial Relations. This is her fourth survey over 20 years, enabling her to put into historical perspective the obstacles workers face today.
Since the start of the year, six Senate Democratshave bowed to pressure from business groups and flip-flopped on the Employee Free Choice Act: The six Democrats who have flipped are: Tom Carper (DE), Blanche Lincoln (AR), Ben Nelson (NE), Mark Pryor (AR), Arlen Sepcter (PA), Jim Webb (VA). The chief EFCA sponsor, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, today issued an ultimatum to the six Senate Democrats: support a compromise, or I will put the original bill on the floor, and your opposition to labor will be recorded in stone:
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the chief sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, has a warning for Democratic foes of his flagship legislation: Work with me in earnest on a compromise, or I'll put the bill on the Senate floor and you can vote your conscience.
That may not sound like a grave threat, but it may well be. Two of the bills main skeptics--Sens. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)--face re-election next year, and both, for different reasons, may ultimately need union support to prevail. Specter, who tacked to the right and came out against EFCA before becoming a Democrat, is facing pressure from the Democratic base and Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) to move left or face a primary challenge.
And at least one high level union official has suggested that if Lincoln doesn't come around and support an EFCA compromise, she may face a green party challenger, in addition to a Republican challenger, in the general election.
Supporting a Green Party candidate against Lincoln almost certainly won't happen. The executive boards of most unions simply are not radical enough to use such a strong tactic to defeat Lincoln, and thus send a message to other Democratic opponents of EFCA. It is actually more likely that Arkansas unions would support a Republican challenger to Lincoln than a Green Party challenger.
Given that six Senate Democrats have flipped, right now a compromise is the only path. However, there is a problem with any potential compromise. The business groups who have organized against EFCA are not looking for a compromise, and have stated publicly they want to defeat any form for EFCA:
THE POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES: In place of majority sign up -- which "probably won't" be in the final bill, according to EFCA's chief sponsor, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) -- a few alternatives have emerged. One would involve a sped-up election process, which advocates hope would blunt employers' ability to intimidate workers from organizing. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has floated another proposal "that would use mail-in elections." Under the plan, "if a majority mailed the ballots to the National Labor Relations Board, the NLRB would recognize the union." Both of these aim to address one of the core problems with the current system for forming a union: the employers have nearly unlimited access to intimidate -- and ultimately fire -- workers who want to organize, while facing little in terms of penalties. In fact, a study released today found that "employers threatened to close plants in 57 percent of [union] campaigns and threatened to cut wages and benefits in 47 percent," while firing workers in 34 percent of campaigns. The business lobby, meanwhile, has already committed itself to opposing any compromise. "Let us be clear and frank on this matter; there can be no acceptable 'compromise' on any issue of labor law reform due to the very real threat posed by EFCA," wrote the Coalition for a Democratic Workforce, a front group composed of the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, among others. As the Washington Post Editorial Board wrote, "That hardly sounds like bargaining in good faith."
Of course the business groups aren't interested in compromise and bargaining in good faith. The entire point of the Employee Free Choice Act is that businesses don't bargain in good faith with their employees.
The test now for the backstabbing Democrats is whether they will support a compromise that will anger both labor and the business groups to whom they kowtowed. Looking at their situation from a pure power perspective, their best bet is probably to go with the "compromise." While labor will be interested in maintaining a relationship with these Senators if such a compromise is passed, long-term there is no pleasing the business groups opposed to EFCA.
Yesterday in Norfolk, Va., union veterans held the first event of what will be a nationwide campaign for the Employee Free Choice Act, uniting union and nonunion veterans from across the country in support of the freedom to form unions and bargain.
In a dozen states, VoteVets.org, Veterans and Military Families for Progress (VMFP), Veterans' Alliance for Security and Democracy (VETPAC) and the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council are teaming up to host military veterans, family members and union members for rallies, roundtable discussions and mobilization events. More than 2 million union members-14 percent of all union members-are veterans and, along with national veterans' groups, they're ready to mobilize for a level playing field in the workplace and the freedom to bargain for the economic opportunity they deserve.
(This piece by AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt-Baker is cross-posted from The Huffington Post.)
Martin Luther King Jr. often drew the parallels and connections between the civil rights and union movements. Today, on the eve of the anniversary of King's assassination, national civil rights leaders called for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would give workers the choice of how to form a union.
During a telephone press conference, Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), a coalition of some 200 organizations, pointed out that unions have been one of the main vehicles for African Americans to move into the middle class.
The Employee Free Choice Act has been largely written about as a labor bill but those of us in the civil rights community know it is so much more...workers' rights are civil rights; and that the right to organize is a civil and human rights issue of the first magnitude.
From generation to generation, by organizing unions, working Americans have turned entire industries and occupations into sources of middle class incomes, secure benefits, and opportunities for upward mobility. This is true for Americans from every background--but especially for African Americans.
by Zach Carter, Media Consortium MediaWire Blogger
With new bailout plans for Wall Street being unveiled almost every week, it's easy to forget that nearly all of the work that fuels our economy takes place outside of Manhattan. While reviving the financial sector is an important part of recovery, any lasting economic solution must also empower American workers and protect them from corporate abuses.
Miles Grant -- who blogs about environmental issues at TheGreenMiles (and formerly blogged at RaisingKaine), works at the National Wildlife Federation, and is running for Virginia state delegate in NOVA -- is using his campaign bullypulpit and organizing structure to get local activists to pressure Senators Webb and Warner to be strong on the Employee Free Choice Act.
Miles writes to supporters:
Hey folks, we're going to be back knocking again this weekend but this time with a twist. Before we go and hit the doors a labor organizer from SEIU is going to give us an update on the Employee Free Choice Act. We will write letters to both our US Senators and then go doorknocking. It is vitally important that progressives support each other at all levels of government. We'll end the afternoon at Union Jack's as usual.
This is what someone running a "bold progressive" campaign does.
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (which I co-founded) is putting together a 2009 Virginia trial run in advance of 2010 congressional elections, to hone our model for helping progressive candidates win. Candidates like Miles make life easy.
Miles "gets it" on both a progressive movement level and political campaign level. He knows that campaigning boldly -- including challenging important Democratic politicians to do the right thing on controversial issues -- is the way to run a campaign that inspires people-powered activism. And, smartly, Miles is doing a ton of door knocking with grassroots volunteers.
If Miles wins the open seat Democratic primary in Virginia District 47, he'll likely win the general. If you live in Northen Virginia, consider joining his crew this Saturday.
Regardless of where you live, consider contributing a few bucks to Miles. (In these state legislative races, a few bucks goes a long way...ahem, put another way, a few bucks goes miles.) (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
You can search this nation far and wide and still wind up with very few elected moderate Republicans. As I've discussed before, the Republican tent is shrinking: those who don't subscribe to a narrow set of backward ideas are pushed out. Some have reacted courageously, like the trio of Republican moderates who voted for the stimulus bill.
Some however, take the convenient route.
Case in point: New York congressman Peter King, who represents the moderate 3rd district, was an original co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act in 2003. This was back when President Bush was certain to veto the bill if it passed, so King hopped on board, appeased the unions in his home district, and kept everyone content.
Now that we have a President who supports the measure, King has jumped off the wagon. From his official statement:
"I do not, however, intend to support EFCA in this Congress. Our country is facing its most severe economic crisis in 75 years. It is a crisis different from previous recessions in that it includes restricted credit, massive job loss, a plunging stock market and increased foreclosures and bankruptcies.
Virtually every component of our economy is suffering. While I am confident we will recover, I believe the road ahead will be long and difficult. Under these conditions, I have concluded that the Employee Free Choice Act would be too severe a shock to our economy at this time and would be counterproductive."
He concludes the statement with a telling sentence: "I will continue, of course, to monitor the situation but that is my current thinking.”
From that statement, you might actually think that Congressman King is going to monitor the economic situation. However, what he's really going to be watching are his chances to defeat Kirsten Gillibrand in the 2010 Senate race (Gillibrand is a 21st Century Democrats endorsee and a strong Employee Free Choice supporter). As we've heard, NRSC Chairman John Cornyn is reaching back in time for his 2010 candidates, and he seems to have his sights set on former-Governor George Pataki. If Peter King wants Party money for his Senate bid, he needs to look like the "better Republican." It'll be Pataki vs. King in a beauty contest of conservatism. He can't be doing things like - gasp - protecting the rights of working people. It would be so un-Republican of him.
And while we're at it, let's talk about the idea that the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act would be a "shock" to our economy in these troubled times. Look, the economy is already shocked; working families are shocked by the $2,000 on average that disappeared from their income between 2001 and 2007. The bill does NOT get rid of the option for the NRLB secret ballot election, even though the current election system is rife with flaws. And despite popular belief, when management and labor bargain on equal terms, it helps the workers as well as the management. Just ask this group of 40 leading economists, including two Nobel laureates, who put a full page ad in the Washington Post last month supporting the bill.
Peter King isn't watching the economic situation. He's watching John Cornyn and George Pataki, and he's watching Senator Gillibrand's poll numbers to see if he has a shot at her seat. Meanwhile, Politico reports that numerous Freshman Democrats are voting for the bill despite their electoral vulnerability. There's something to be said for political courage: not everyone has it.
This is a cross-post from the Firedoglake blog. AFL-CIO Government Affairs Director Bill Samuel provides a reality check for the media spin around the Employee Free Choice Act. Bill was on NPR yesterday in a discussion of the issue with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Check it out here.
As most of you know, the Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in the U.S. House and Senate this week.
Make no mistake: This is a big deal.
This year-finally-we have a chance to restore some balance to our economy and help working people share in the prosperity they help create.
This year-for the first time in 30 years-we will take up the challenge of fixing the nation's labor law that for decades has been badly broken.
Those in the public who rely on traditional political reporting could be forgiven for missing the significance of this moment in history.
It seems that another bank on the public dole is using its taxpayer-subsidized time and resources to lobby against the Employee Free Choice Act.
Today, Sam Stein of the Huffington Post reports that Citigroup hosted a private conference call yesterday to bolster opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act that included a senior executive at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business lobbying group that has put tens of millions of dollars into the anti-Employee Free Choice disinformation campaign. Jane Hamsher at Firedoglake notes that the Citi stock analyst who downgraded Wal-Mart over fears of the Employee Free Choice Act passing was on the call, too.
The U.S. House and Senate introduced the Employee Free Choice Act today, launching the legislative battle to restore workers' freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life.
It's a great day for working families and a sign of the change that America voted for last fall. It's important to note that this bill isn't an abstract issue: it affects millions of workers across the country, workers who deserve the ability to bargain for a fair share of the value they create.
At today's Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, some of these workers got a chance to talk about what the freedom to form unions and bargain has meant to them.
Deborah Kelly is an Electrical Workers (IBEW) member, an apprentice line worker in Alaska. She said her union membership offered her a lifelong career that includes health insurance, a living wage and a pension. She also values the training and assistance she's received from other union members on the job. In a dangerous position-repairing electrical lines in mountain passes-Kelly says that the workplace safety she relies on is due to having a strong union. And as the only woman on her crew, Kelly appreciates that her union protects her from discrimination.
Thanks to my detailed classroom training, and the help of journeymen, we pulled off these dangerous operations with success. I have a solid career with a future, I know I can work hard and receive a decent paycheck. I know I'll work with the most highly trained people and I'll come home safe. I know I'm never alone-my union provides a safety net and helps me ensure I have equal opportunity employment.
Before she was hired as a line worker, Kelly was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. As a cancer survivor working in a seasonal industry, union health care made it affordable to get coverage and stay healthy.
Sharon Harrison, a CWA member and call center employee in Lebanon, Va., says her union benefits her family, her co-workers and her community. As employees of AT&T; Mobility, Harrison and her co-workers utilized majority sign-up, without interference from her bosses. AT&T; Mobility agreed to stay neutral and allow workers the choice about forming a union. It was simple, she said: Workers at her call center wanted a union-and they got a union.
Because of that agreement, we weren't afraid anymore that management would retaliate against us for trying to form a union. When more than a majority of workers signed up for representation, all of us at AT&T; Mobility were better for it. For workers, we were able to get better pay and benefits, lower health care costs, a grievance procedure and more opportunities. We know we're providing quality service and we know AT&T; respects us. It's good for our employer, too. We're in a real partnership-we have a framework to solve problems on the job, a clear path to improving our jobs and our work, that's important to us and to our employer. We have the kind of jobs that enable you to support your family and contribute to the community. A quality workforce gives a real competitive edge. We're proud we work for a company that respects us, listens to us and consider us a real partner.
The Employee Free Choice Act is important because all workers deserve the chance that I had. I know what a difference it makes when you don't have to be scared to stand up for a voice at work.
Harrison, a member of the bargaining committee for her union, says her union-and the freedom she had from corporate interference-has made a real difference in her life, from on-the-job training to better health coverage for her family.
For more stories of workers and why they support the Employee Free Choice Act, click here.
Roll Call has a new article online focusing on Republican attempts to win in 2010 the Senate seat held by Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln for the last ten years. The content of the article is a clear statement on how Senate Republicans' only weapon besides obstruction-by-filibuster is toothless bullying.
The article begins by telegraphing how Republicans will attack Senator Lincoln over the course of the 2010 cycle:
This cycle, the NRSC has stepped into the Arkansas race early, attempting to soften Lincoln's poll numbers with attacks on her support for the stimulus legislation and for sending "mixed signals" when it comes to the Employee Free Choice Act, according to an NRSC press release. And when Lincoln announced late last month that Vice President Joseph Biden would join her at her 2010 campaign kickoff this weekend, the NRSC was quick to blast the two-term Senator for being out of touch with voters back home.
"Senator Lincoln's support for runaway Washington spending and her refusal to take a position on 'card check' despite representing a right to work state, are among a few of the important issues we are bringing to the attention of her constituents," NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh said on Monday.
Let's take a look at the foolishness contained in this passage:
In the latest issue of Rolling Stone, Nobel Prize-winning Princeton economist Paul Krugman has written an open letter to President Obama detailing the steps needed to end our economic crisis and turn the country around.
Krugman's prescription includes quick and large-scale actions to save jobs, rebuild infrastructure and protect those whose health care, housing and retirement have been put at risk-but it also includes longer-term strategies to make sure America is "a more just and secure society." High on Krugman's list? In addition to health care reform and an economic recovery package, he stresses restoring workers' freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life by passing the Employee Free Choice Act.
...you can do a lot to enhance workers' rights. One is to start laying the groundwork to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it much harder for employers to intimidate workers who want to join a union; the legislation will enable America to take a huge step toward recapturing the middle-class society we've lost.
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