On Monday, union members and retirees in La Crosse helped kick off a National Week of Grassroots Action in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. This bill, which was recently introduced in the U.S. Congress, is crucial to building an economy that works for everyone.
Watch the video below in which IAHFI Local 19 member Kristian Platten describes the difference that being a union member has made in his life.
UA Local 434 hosted the event in their training facility. Union members from AFGE, ATU, BCTGM, IUOE, IAM, IBEW, LIUNA, OPCMIA, UA, UAW, and UURWAW called and wrote letters to Senator Kohl, Senator Feingold, and Representative Kind, thanking them for supporting this critical legislation.
“Although majority sign-up has always been a lawful way for workers to form a unions, companies are now allowed to veto that choice. This forces workers into an election process that is manipulated by companies to intimidate, harass, coerce, or even fire workers,” Said David Branson, Business Agent for UA Local 434. “This is an urgent crisis for workers, blocking their freewill and their ability to bargain for a better future.”
Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Terry Hicks describes current labor law as “dismal.” He went on to add that, “This is a question of power. Corporations don’t want to give that up.”
Local media in La Crosse took notice. Here are some of the stories about the Employee Free Choice Act following the event.
On television:
http://www.wkbt.com/global/story.asp?s=9978571
On the Radio:
(be sure to scroll down to 3/10/09)
http://www.wpr.org/news/newsstories.cfm
http://1410wizm.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=2251
UA Organizer Joe Moenck summed up why so many working people are taking action. “The system is broken, and needs to be fixed. The Employee Free Choice Act is the way that we are going to get that done.”