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THURSDAY, MARCH 22  ▪  Rep. Inslee co-sponsored, supports EFCA -- The congressman was forced to miss the historic March 1 vote of the Employee Free Choice Act because of the sudden death of a close family member, but he has been an outspoken advocate for the EFCA.

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2007
Rep. Inslee co-sponsored, supports Employee Free Choice Act

The office of U.S. Jay Inslee (D-1st) reports that some union members have called expressing how upset they were that the congressman didn't vote for HR 800, the Employee Free Choice Act, which is labor law reform strongly supported by organized labor.  Rep. Inslee missed the March 1 vote because of the sudden death of a close family member, but is an outspoken supporter of the EFCA, which he co-sponsored.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the EFCA on March 1 on a 241–185 vote. Among Washington state's delegation, Democratic Reps. Rick Larsen, Brian Baird, Norm Dicks, Jim McDermott and Adam Smith all voted for the bill, while Republican Reps. Dave Reichert and Cathy McMorris Rodgers voted against it. Rep. "Doc" Hastings (R-4th) was absent. 

Rep. Inslee (D-WA), one of 234 EFCA sponsors, came to Olympia on Feb. 22 to testify before the House Commerce and Labor Committee in support of HJM 4008, a memorial urging Congress to pass the EFCA. Later that day, he addressed to the Washington State Labor Council's Legislative Conference to deliver the same message: "We have democracy in Congress. We have democracy here in the Legislature. We need to restore democracy in the workplace."

Here is a statement recently released by by Rep. Inslee on the subject:

Recently, the House of Representatives took a major step towards strengthening the middle class and ensuring the rights of hard working Americans.  In a critical piece of legislation passed in the House on March 1, 2007, Congress demanded that American workers be assured the freedom to choose whether or not they want to join a union without coercion from employers or special interests. 

I am proud to have worked towards the passage of this legislation, which will bolster the rights of the 15.4 million Americans who currently belong to labor unions and others who want to organize.  Unfortunately, due to the sudden death of a close family member, I was forced to miss the final vote on this bill.  Please be assured that under any other circumstance, I would have enthusiastically cast my vote for this important measure protecting American workers.  

I have been a longtime advocate of the Employee Free Choice Act.  Recently, I was invited to Olympia, Wash. to testify in front of the House Commerce and Labor Committee regarding H.J.M. 4008, a state resolution urging Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.  I was privileged to be an original cosponsor of this legislation, which demands a broken union organizing system be fixed to benefit over 60 million nonunion employees that wish to organize in their workplace but have been barred from doing so.

Early in life, during brief stints as a painter, cement truck driver, and bulldozer operator, I learned firsthand the essential need to organize to improve working conditions.  Barriers to union organization became apparent as I observed many colleagues who were reluctant to unionize for fear of being fired.  In listening to them, it became clear that there was no democracy in the workplace because the model for organizing was broken.  This early exposure to union organizers served as inspiration to support legislation such as H.R. 800.  

If signed into law, the Employee Free Choice Act, H.R. 800, will reform a broken union election process in which employers frequently intimidate, harass, reassign, or even fire workers who support the formation of a union.  H.R. 800 addresses three major concerns that have bogged down union organization in hundreds of companies throughout the United States.  First the law establishes a “majority sign up” system as an alternative to the “secret ballot” union election method which has often been manipulated by employers to draw out the election process for months.  This tactic leaves time for employers to discourage unionization through threats to employees’ jobs.  According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, nearly one in five union organizers and activists are fired from their jobs and many others are intimidated or harassed until they place their vote.  The Employee Free Choice Act allows workers to decide whether they would like to form a union based on the “majority sign up” method or by the traditional National Labor Relations Board election process.   Placing choice in the hands of workers is essential in eliminating employer coercion and intimidation in the union election process. 

Second, H.R. 800 will establish a more effective mediation and binding arbitration process when the employer and employees cannot agree on a first contract.  As the law stands now, employers have a duty to bargain in good faith, but are under no obligation to reach an agreement.  It is estimated that 34 percent of union election victories have not resulted from a first contract.  By assigning an impartial agent to oversee mediation in union disputes, the Employee Free Choice Act ensures that basic NLRB laws are not overlooked. 

Finally, H.R. 800 strengthens penalties for worker intimidation while employees are attempting to organize.  Although current law prohibits firing, demoting, or disciplining workers for union organizing, the process for pursuing a complaint can be long and difficult to prove.  Enforcement is weak and provides little or no deterrence for employers who wish to bully organizers.  Under the new law, the NLRB would be required to seek a federal court injunction for any employer seeking to illegally quash organization efforts.  Also, H.R. 800 requires employers to provide three times the amount of lost pay when a worker is fired during an organizing campaign or first contract negotiation.

Organized labor has been a bellwether of social progress in this country and around the world.  Benefits many people take for granted today began as trade-union initiatives.  Programs such as Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance and workers compensation all owe their origins to the efforts of the trade unions.  The Employee Free Choice Act is another beacon in the history of labor organization that will ensure that labor unions are able to continue to safeguard the health and livelihoods of American workers.