 House
Committee Votes for a Stronger Middle Class
Employee Free Choice Act [H.R. 800]
America’s working people are struggling to make ends meet these days
and our middle class is disappearing. The best opportunity working
people have to get ahead economically is by uniting to bargain with
their employers for better wages and benefits.
However, the current system for forming unions and bargaining is
broken. Every day, corporations deny workers the freedom to decide for
themselves whether to form unions to bargain for a better life. They
routinely intimidate, harass, coerce and even fire workers who try to
form unions and bargain for economic well-being.
This legislation was supported by a
bipartisan coalition in Congress, would level the playing
field for workers and employers and help rebuild America’s
middle class. It would restore workers’ freedom to
choose a union by:
Establishing stronger penalties for violation of employee rights when
workers seek to form a union and during first-contract negotiations.
 | Providing mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes.
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| Allowing employees to form unions by signing cards authorizing
union representation |
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District 143 Legislative
Director Lisa Stager Notes the Congress’ Strong Beginning
“Madam Speaker” – What a historic moment when President Bush said these
words to open the State of the Union message to Congress on Tuesday,
January 23, 2007. We all knew what the undertones were when he humbly
tried to amend the tone for his failed administration. Now this Congress
will try to undo all the wrongs of twelve years of Republican rule. This
Congress has made a strong beginning – but it is only a beginning. In
the first 100 hours, the newly elected Democratic majority has
accomplished these major agenda items: to restore honesty and openness
in government, reestablish fiscal responsibility, strengthen national
security, and help the middle class. This included raising the minimum
wage, require the government to negotiate with the pharmaceutical
industry for lower drug prices for seniors in the Medicare program, cut
student loan interest in half, and repeal subsidies and tax breaks for
oil companies with investment in renewable energy.
| Stager Recommends the
following links:
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