| Big (and good) news for workers today. Even in the face of a Presidential veto, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), landmark legislation protecting the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively. Even better news? The legislation even got 13 crossover votes from Republicans.
What does the EFCA do? In a nutshell, it allows workers to organize either through the current employer-dominated election process -- a process that has resulted in widespread employer intimidation of workers -- or through "card check" where a majority of workers sign cards stating their preference for a union -- a process that results in far lower levels of worker intimidation.
Currently, card check campaigns are only recognized voluntarily by employers. Election processes are so rife with intimidation and corruption that the first step in most real union organizing these days is fighting simply to get the employer to agree to not intimidate workers. Without that first step, it becomes impossible to organize.
This isn't surprising -- the man who served as George W.'s Deputy Secretary of Labor until very recently actually publicly attacked card check for preventing 'retaliation' against pro-union workers. Retaliation is already illegal in theory, but widespread in practice.
So what does Dennis Rehberg do? He votes to maintain intimidation and retaliation against workers exercising what is supposed to be your federally protected right to form a union.
Almost a year ago, Max Baucus became the 43rd cosponsor of the EFCA in the Senate. I have no idea where Jon Tester stands on it. Labor already knows it faces a tougher battle in the 51-49 Senate and the prospects of a Presidential veto. But the House today took a strong stand for workers. And that deserves a little round of applause. |
