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4/28/2009 Support free choice for working families By Joe Wineke The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com. During the election, President Obama inspired us to reach new heights and come together to build a better America. “Yes we can,” he said - and we did, together. Already, the President and Democrats in Congress have implemented legislation to address pay discrimination, provide health care for millions of uninsured children and keep families in their homes. But there is no doubt that we are facing tough times as we work to put our economy back on track. America has lost nearly four million jobs since this recession began during the Bush Administration, and unemployment in Wisconsin and across the nation has climbed. The financial crisis has wiped out our 401(k)s, foreclosures are at an all-time high, access to quality health care is quickly becoming the exception, rather than the norm – and the list goes on. It’s clear that our debt-driven economy is out of whack. Our national productivity has soared over the last twenty-five years, while wages have stayed flat. Meanwhile, the salary of the average CEO has ballooned to 350 times the wages of the average worker. It is no coincidence that we’re experiencing both the highest level of inequality and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. To rebuild the economy, we need to level the playing field. That’s why I support the Employee Free Choice Act – a commonsense piece of legislation that will let workers and employers come together around the bargaining table and find common ground. When workers have the freedom to bargain with their employers, the middle class is strengthened. As President Obama has said, unions are part of the solution, not part of the problem. Our state can’t – and won’t – prosper if the middle class keeps shrinking. Unfortunately, corporate greed has built a system where workers can no longer choose to form a union without fear of retribution. Workers are routinely harassed and intimidated for supporting unions. And according to recent research from Cornell University, workers are fired in one of every four organizing efforts just for exercising their rights. A new Gallup poll shows that a solid majority of Americans support legislation that would make it easier for workers to form unions and negotiate for better health care, wages and job security. Millions of Americans want to be able to form and join unions, and they shouldn’t have to risk their livelihoods in the process. The Employee Free Choice Act puts the choice to join a union – or not join a union, for that matter – in the hands of workers. Instead of being forced to go through a company-controlled balloting process, workers can choose to form a union when a simple majority authorization cards at the workplace. Workers and managers at hundreds of successful companies like AT&T and Kaiser have already seen the benefits of less divisive majority sign-up processes. Across the country, unions and businesses like these have worked together to set up employee training programs, reduce turnover, improve product quality and shrink overhead. Recent studies from the Economic Policy Institute show that these cooperative relationships create jobs and help local communities prosper. When workers have the power to earn their fair share for their hard work, it’s good for business as well. Consumer confidence levels have reached historic lows because workers simply cannot afford to buy the products they’re producing. By improving workers’ buying power, we will increase consumer demand. And increased demand boosts profits and puts people back to work. In short, the Employee Free Choice Act can help turn this economy around. -- Wineke is chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. |
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