Labor

The labor movement in this country has a rich and proud history. Without the courageous efforts of union women and men fighting for a humane and just workplace, American workers today would not have eight-hour a day, five-day- a-week work schedules and their children might still be toiling away in factories and sweatshops.

The Wagner Act, which, among other things, insures labor the right to collective bargaining and binding arbitration, is under attack in ways that are unprecedented. Yet, its protection of workers is needed more than ever. Currently, even if workers win labor battles in the workplace, they often lose them in the courts due to the National Labor Relations Board’s lack of enforcement. This is why it is so important for Congress to pass the “Employment Free Choice Act” and why I support it. Importantly, it would allow workers to form a union without their employers’ permission. It would also reinforce collective bargaining and binding arbitration. Both are pillars of the rights of workers and must be upheld.

The importance of worker protection is highlighted by the recent coal mine disaster in West Virginia. Based on reports from mine workers in the area, only union mines implemented needed safety regulations that protected the health and lives of miners. Not surprisingly, the mine in which 29 lives were unnecessarily lost in an enormous underground explosion was non-unionized and notorious for an unprecedented number of safety violations. Can anyone truly fail to see the connection?

At a time of grave economic instability and devastating worker layoffs, it is especially important to have a strong labor movement in this county. Some would say it is the only effective antidote to runaway corporate power.