| Employee Free Choice Act |
EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT Everything important that working families have won during the last 100 years was won by or with the help of the unions that America's workers formed through struggle. The list is long but includes: The 40-hour week and overtime pay, Medicare, Social Security, workplace safety laws. Simply put a better work life and more opportunities for families.Unions can truly make a difference for Latino workers. A 51 percent pay advantage for Latino union members is remarkable. These numbers demonstrate the important role that unions play in narrowing the income gap currently affecting minority workers and women. Low-wage workers are increasingly vulnerable to economic downturns due to a greater loss in purchasing power. Unionized low-wage workers earn approximately 17 percent more than workers without a union and are 41 percent more likely to have employer-based health insurance. The lack of access to health care is an insidious problem affecting the Latino community and the union can make the difference for Latino workers in this crucial aspect. Additionally, by providing workers with pension plans, unions are helping secure the financial future of our retirees. Workers are empowered by unions because they are provided living wages, health care coverage and pension plans. These are just some of the crucial benefits that are to be gained from joining a union. For the protection of worker rights, a strengthened voice in the workplace, and reduced income inequality; LCLAA hopes that all barriers to unionization are brought down. We expect the upcoming administration and 111th Congress to make this possible for all workers with the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). The time has come to amend the NLRA to protect the human rights of every worker to freely form or join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employer. The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) believes the following principles of EFCA will significantly limit employer interference in the open and free elections of unions:
Sources: Schmitt, John. Unions and Upward Mobility for Latino Workers. Center for Economic and Policy Research. September 2008 The Union Difference: Unions Raise Wages Especially for Minorities and Women. AFL-CIO January 2008. http://aflcio.org/joinaunion/why/uniondifference/uniondiff4.cfm Sobre la Ley de Opción Libre de los Empleados http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ueDz_trwxg&feature=related Employee Free Choice Act http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf0CKZ2bfF0 http://www.employeefreechoice.org/ |
