We, the undersigned,
represent leaders from all walks of life in
Washington
state
who believe that the time has come for all workers to have a simple,
direct, and expedited way to have their voices represented at the
workplace. The best way to realize this is for Congress to pass and
for President Barack Obama to sign into law the Employee Free Choice
Act in 2009.
The right for workers to
form unions and to bargain collectively with their employers in the
private sector was granted in the passage of the National Labor
Relations Act in 1935. This right was later included in Article 23 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General
Assembly of the United Nations in 1948.
Nonetheless, today the ability of workers to actually form and join
unions and to have their voices represented at the workplace has been
dramatically eroded through employer refusal to recognize workers who
express their interest in a union, employer expenditures on union
avoidance, and labor law that fails to provide adequate, timely and
just remedies for violations of the law. According to data from the
National Labor Relations Board, a worker is fired or disciplined every
23 seconds of the day for union activity.
We believe the Employee
Free Choice Act, with provisions for choosing majority sign-up, first
contract mediation and arbitration, and realistic and effective
penalties for violations of labor law, is the best way for millions of
workers to have their voices truly heard at the workplace. We also
believe that this is a critical way to strengthen and grow the middle
class and our economy over the long term.
We ask you, our elected
national leaders, to pass and sign the Employee Free Choice Act into
law during 2009.
Thank you,
