In print | Published February 12, 2009

To the Editor:

The Employee Free Choice Act will be one of the most important pieces of legislation protecting American workers, including young workers just entering the workplace.
The current economic crisis is no longer news to workers struggling to support themselves and their families, or to young people entering the workforce who find that they are making less than their parents did. Many job seekers are finding that job security and employer-provided health insurance are out of their reach.

Among others, this is affecting young people entering the workforce. There is a sector of young workers whose wages are 12.4 percent more than those of other young workers. They are 17 percent more likely to have health insurance provided by an employer (CEPR).

These young workers are in unions. But only 8.2 percent of all young workers are unionized, down by almost half since 1983. Unfortunately, the current system of forming a union is flawed. Every 23 minutes, a worker in the U.S. is fired or discriminated against for forming a union.
New legislation called the Employee Free Choice Act will tip the balance a little bit away from the pro-big business labor laws.

As a member of Swarthmore Labor Action Project, I am writing in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. The Employee Free Choice Act would level the playing field by strengthening penalties against offending employers; requiring mediation and arbitration to help employers and employees reach a first contract in a reasonable period of time; and, permitting workers to form a union through “majority sign-up” or card check, a process in which workers present signed authorization cards as demonstration of their choice to belong to a union.

President Obama pledged his support for the Employee Free Choice Act during his campaign. We thank Senator Casey and Representative Sestak for their support of the Employee Free Choice Act in the last Congressional session, and we call on Senators Casey and Specter and Representative Sestak to ensure the swift passage of this legislation.

Sarah Apt ’10

« RETURN TO OPINIONS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »