Minnesota House backs Employee Free Choice Act

From the Minneapolis Labor Review, May 15, 2008

By Steve Share, Labor Review editor

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota House of Representatives passed a resolution May 1 urging the U.S. Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, union-backed legislation to strengthen the rights of workers to form unions.

The 84-10 roll-call vote in the Minnesota House took place after nearly 40 minutes of debate.

Two union members who serve in the House defended the resolution in response to attacks by some of the House’s most conservative Republican members.

The resolution’s author, Rep. Mike Nelson (DFL-46A), who is a Carpenters Union member, told the House that the current system of National Labor Relations Board elections to determine union recognition “is broken because of the amount of [employer] intimidation…”

“This is all about allowing everyone the freedom to join the union of their choice without the intimidation that’s going on,” Nelson told the House.

The Employee Free Choice Act would provide for union recognition once a majority of workers in a workplace sign union authorization cards. Under current law, the employer can refuse to recognize the cards and insist on an NLRB election.

In the run-up to a NLRB election, Nelson said, employers who oppose unions subject workers to captive audience meetings, intimidation, threats to their jobs, and threats to close their business.

“We’ve seen an attack both on organized workers and workers who desire to be organized,” said Rep. Tom Anzelc (DFL-3A), former legislative coordinator for the Laborers Union District Council of Minnesota and North Dakota. “Let workers be heard. Let workers have a voice.”

“Collective bargaining and unions are still one of the best ways to help people move up from poverty to enter the middle class,” Nelson said.

The Minnesota House vote urging Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act follows passage of a similar resolution in the Minnesota Senate last year.

“It’s a step toward pushing Congress further to give strength to workers to organize in their workplaces,” said Jennifer Schaubach, legislative director for the Minnesota AFL-CIO.

Rep. Nelson noted on the House floor that the vote came on May 1 — May Day — observed worldwide as International Workers Day to celebrate the social and economic gains of the labor movement.

For more information:
www.americanrightsatwork.org

Representatives of AFL-CIO unions and Change to Win unions stood together in support of the Employee Free Choice Act outside the Minnesota House chambers May 1.

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