Transcript Document 7179885

Rebuilding America’s Middle Class
Jobs
Infrastructure,
“Green Jobs”
Investment
New Main Street
Economic
Recovery
Package
Employee Free
Choice Act
Re-regulate
Financial Sector
Fair Taxes
Health Care
Reform
Good
Trade/Offshoring
Policy
EMPLOYEES’
FREEDOM
TO BARGAIN
The Key to Rebuilding Our
Middle Class
What If Presidential Elections
Were Conducted Like
Union Recognition Elections?
2008
John McCain
VS.
Barack Obama
McCain would have unlimited TV time, including several
hours a day of compulsory viewing time.
Obama, would be restricted to door-to-door canvassing
Obama would have to campaign from Canada or Mexico;
neither he nor his aides would be allowed in the country.
Obama voters risk losing their jobs.
The Whitehouse could fire one voter in every precinct,
to send voters a message, and chill the campaign.
Let’s suspend the election,
Sarah, for these good
people can get their heads
screwed on straight!
McCain can delay the election if he thinks he’ll do better later.
The election is held in hostile headquarters and voters file
by hostile officials as they vote.
What does a flawed process
mean for APWU Members?
• A large pool of non-union workers allows
corporations to put downward pressure on all
workers attempts to negotiate for better pay and
benefits.
• Plans to privatize the postal service begin with
contracting out work to companies with
unorganized, lower paid workers
• Real “family values” are parents home at night with
their children; NOT working 3 jobs to make ends
meet!
Employee Free Choice Act
•
Allow workers to choose how they form their
union – whether by majority sign up or election
• Strengthen penalties for companies that break
the law when workers are trying to form
unions
•
Establish mediation and binding arbitration when
the employer and workers cannot agree on a first
contract
Knowledge of the Process
Remains Limited
- Only 47% of the public knows that
employers oppose unions
- 60% of union members know that
employers oppose (up 6 points since
2006).
Strong Support For Employee Free
Choice Act
 Strongly favor
 Somewhat favor
 Oppose
Support for Employee Free Choice after hearing provisions
73%
37%
21%
Allows employees to have a union once a majority of employees in a
workplace sign authorization cards indicating they want to form a union
75%
44%
Strengthens penalties for companies that illegally intimidate or fire
employees who try to form a union
49%
64%
Establishes binding arbitration in cases where a company and a newly
certified union cannot agree on a contract after three months of negotiating
29%
61%
Attacks Against
Employee Free Choice Act
We’re up against a $200 million organized
opposition:
• Coalition for a Democratic Workplace
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Retail Industry Leaders Association
• Associated Buildings and Contractors
• National Right to Work
• Rick Berman front groups
Attacks Against
Employee Free Choice Act
• Eliminates the Secret Ballot
• Not Needed Because the Current
Process Resembles Political Elections
• Bad for Jobs – Bad for Economy
• Will Increase Union Coercion
Eliminates Secret Ballot
-FALSE• NLRA currently sets 30% as
threshold to get an election
• Majority sign-up has been legal since
1935
• NLRA remains intact after the
Employee Free Choice Act
Union Coercion
-FALSE-
42 Cases of union
misconduct (cards)
since 1935
Employer Coercion
- TRUEIllegal Retaliation by Employers
Against Workers for Forming
Unions
• 6,000 cases in 1969
• 20,000 cases in 1990
• 30,000 cases in 2007
THE MIDDLE CLASS IS IN TROUBLE.
•
•
•
CEOs make record high salaries while corporations
like Wal-Mart drive down wages
Wages are stagnating as prices are rising
Taxpayers are bailing out Wall Street
THE CURRENT SYSTEM ROBS
EMPLOYEES OF A FREE CHOICE.
•
•
•
Currently, companies, not employees,
get to decide how workers can try and
form unions
One in five union activists are fired
when trying to form a union
The current company-controlled
process eliminates workers’ ability to
exercise their true choice through the
one-sided campaign
UNIONS STRENGTHEN THE
MIDDLE CLASS.
•
•
•
They earn 30% more than non union
workers and are 50% more likely to
have health care benefits and pensions
They provide economic stability at a
time of severe economic unrest
As the country works at rebuilding our
economy under Obama, unions help
ensure the benefits go to all workers,
not just those at the top
Union Movement-Wide Effort
• Affiliate Leadership and Membership
Involvement in all efforts
• State Federations and Central Labor
Council Leadership
• CTW and NEA Engagement
Legislative Targeting and Lobbying
Focus is the Senate with some targeted
House work:
• Re-sign co-sponsors
• Newly elected who had our support
• Soft-support Democrats
• Republicans we can move
Aggressive Public and
Member Communication
• Message and spokesperson training for
union leaders at all levels
• High-visibility events
• Rapid response
• Full-scale paid and earned media
Membership Mobilization
• Union Meetings / Discussions
• Local Union Mail/ Worksite Leafleting
• Letters - 1 %
• Phone Calls - 1 %
• Delegation Visits to Members of
Congress
• Worker Spokespersons
Recruiting and Coordinating Allies
• American Rights at Work
• Community-based organizations
• Faith-based organizations/Clergy
• Academics and student groups
• Elected leaders and Democratic Party
influentials
• International support
Building on Strength and Success
• Labor 2008
• Six years of Employee
Free Choice Act
campaign
• Majority support in
Congress
“I’ll make it the law of the land.”
— Barack Obama
Questions?
Terese Bouey, AFL-CIO
202-639-6293
[email protected]
866 # SENATORS
AK(Murkowski)
AR(Lincoln, Pryor)
CA (Feinstein)
CO (Udall, Bennet)
DE (Carper)
FL (Nelson)
IN Bayh)
LA(Landrieu)
ME (Snowe)
MT (Baucus)
NC (Hagan)
ND (Dorgan,Conrad)
NE (Nelson)
OH (Voinovich)
PA (Specter)
VA(Warner, Webb)
WI (Kohl)