Labour Law Reform in the USA: Employee Free Choice Act

Last night, a bipartisan coalition in the new Congress introduced the Employee Free Choice Act, which if passed,would be the most important piece of labour legislation in the U.S. in the last 50 years, its supporters contend. The Employee Free Choice Act, among other things, would make the process of joining a union easier and more fair 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.
-Allowing employees to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.

The current process if broken because if employees present an employer with union authorization cards signed by a majority, the employer can demand a secret ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB); however, this enables employers to intimidate, coerce and harass workers and drag out the process indefinitely. For some horror stories about workers being intimidated and losing their jobs, click here.

This will go a long way in increasing the union density in America, which has now dipped below 12%. Research shows that some 60 million U.S. workers say they would join a union if they could. The Employee Free Choice Act will hopefully make this a reality.

Here are a few scary statistics:
- 51 percent of private-sector employees threaten to shut down partially or totally if the union wins the election.
- 25 percent of private-sector employers fire at least one worker during organizing campaigns.

To conclude, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
The right to form unions, the right to quality health care, the right to bargain collectively and the right to safe workplaces are non-negotiable. Too often, American workers face harassment, intimidation and coercion when they try to exercise the right to join a union. The Employee Free Choice Act preserves this fundamental freedom, benefiting all American workers and their families.

Let's hope for the best.