Seventy-three percent of Americans support the Employee Free Choice Act. In fact, 60 percent of Americans would join a union tomorrow if they could. As a senator, Barack Obama co-sponsored the bill. And he has promised to make it “the law of the land” as President. In addition, a growing number of organizations, including religious, environmental, consumer and civil rights groups, have endorsed the Employee Free Choice Act.
Not surprisingly, the corporations and CEOs are fighting tooth and nail to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act. During the 2008 election, corporate lobbyists including the Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, the National Federation of Independent Business and other shady anti-union front groups spent $20 million lying about the Employee Free Choice Act.
Their biggest lie was that the Employee Free Choice Act would take away the secret ballot during union elections. In reality, the Employee Free Choice Act protects secret ballots if employees decide they want them. It should be up to employees to decide how they want to vote – not corporate CEOs.
More recently, these anti-free choice groups argue that the Employee Free Choice Act will drive the economy into a tail spin. That’s right. The same guys who piloted America into an economic nosedive are the same guys telling us what will and won’t work to get us out of this mess.
Let’s be honest about these corporate crocodile tears. Corporate CEOs wouldn’t work a day without a contract – and yet they expect regular Americans to do it.
Further, in 2007, chief executives of America’s top companies grabbed nearly $15 million in pay and bonuses, but shrugged their shoulders as wages for regular workers stagnated. Does anyone really believe these CEOs’ crocodile tears over their employees’ access to a secret ballot?
