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With the EFCA finally starting to come to light in our government offices, it's so nice to see a few Republican's coming out in favor of this bill/law.
Two of those GOPers are from the state of Maine. They would be James J. Campbell Sr. and Penni Theriault. James Campbell serves on the Health and Human Services committee, while Penni Theriault is owner of Lots of Tots Child Care, and both of these persons favor the Employee Free Choice Act.
We write as a state legislator and a small business owner who share Mainers' deep concerns about the state of our economy.
Historically, no institution has been as effective at improving the quality of life for working families as membership in a union.
Union members earn better wages, have better health-care coverage and can count on a more secure retirement than non-union workers.
As current and former union members ourselves, we know that unions work.
Who brought us the weekend? Unions. Who rose with unions? The middle class. It just makes sense. Tens of millions of workers would join a union if they could. The problem is that if they try, and their employer resists, workers have only about a 20 percent chance of success.
This is because the current system for forming a union is unfairly tilted in the employer's favor.
That's just wrong. It's un-American and one more example of greed and power run amok.
Not all of the business owners in the United States are morally fucked up when it comes to their employees.
That is why we believe it is essential for Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which will help Maine's economy get back on its feet by removing barriers to union membership and allowing workers, not just CEOs, to share in the economic success they help create on the job.
The bill would enable workers to form a union when a majority of their co-workers sign cards indicating they want one. This puts the choice of how to form a union in the hands of workers, not corporations.
Just as importantly, the act ensures that workers can freely choose to form a union without intimidation or harassment from their employers.
The final word?
We are also both Republicans and some in our party oppose this bill. However, we do not view this issue through a partisan lens.
We believe enabling more workers to form unions is about justice and fairness – bedrock principles that have guided our nation since its birth.
For too long, big corporations have shunned these ideals and enriched themselves at the expense of America's working families. Today, the average CEO makes 344 times more than the average worker. So it is not surprising that CEOs and their Washington lobbyists oppose employee free choice.
On another note, my blogging software is still not working on my new system, as you can tell. Hopefully this will be corrected soon. Just in case the link for this doesn't show as it is supposed to: pressherald.mainetoday.com and you'll find the article.
