[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 19, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E705]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              INTRODUCTION OF THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 19, 2005

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, the right of working 
men and women to freely organize and bargain collectively is a 
fundamental human right. It is a long-time American value, a principle 
recognized by international agreement, and a standard by which our 
government measures adherence to democratic principles.
  And yet, disregard for the right of free association is rampant right 
here. In its report entitled, ``Unfair Advantage,'' Human Rights Watch 
(2000) declared--

       Many workers who try to form and join trade unions to 
     bargain with their employers are spied on, harassed, 
     pressured, threatened, suspended, fired, deported or 
     otherwise victimized in reprisal for their exercise of the 
     right to freedom of association.
       Labor law enforcement efforts often fail to deter unlawful 
     conduct. When the law is applied, enervating delays and weak 
     remedies invite continued violations.

  This is not a report on human rights abuses in Iran, or Honduras, or 
China. This subject is the United States of America.
  When the National Labor Relations Act was enacted 70 years ago, it 
represented the hope of millions of Americans who sought to gain the 
right to bargain with their employer. Today, however, that law has 
become so weakened and so easily manipulated that it is one of the 
greatest hindrances to the right of Americans to form and join unions.
  Today, I am honored to be joined by the Hon. Peter T. King and 121 of 
our colleagues in introducing the Employee Free Choice Act. We commit 
ourselves to a new effort to strengthen and protect a human right and 
an American principle: the right of men and women to band together to 
improve their working conditions.
  The Employee Free Choice Act is a bipartisan bill designed to provide 
a realistic ability for working men and women to form and join unions.
  The Employee Free Choice Act provides: A simple, fair, direct method 
for workers to form unions by signing cards or petitions; three times 
the amount of lost pay when a worker is fired during an organizing 
campaign or first-contract negotiations; and impartial mediation or 
arbitration to resolve disputes over first-time labor contracts.
  Employees and the nation benefit from a strong union movement. Median 
weekly wages of union workers are 28% higher than nonunion workers. 
Almost 70% of union workers have a guaranteed retirement benefit, five 
times the likelihood for a nonunion worker. Eighty percent of union 
workers have health insurance compared to 50% of nonunion workers.
  The ten States with the highest percentage of organized workers have 
higher household incomes, greater medical insurance coverage, higher 
education spending per pupil, lower violent crime rates, fewer people 
living in poverty, and a greater electoral participation than the ten 
States with lowest percentage of organized workers. This issue is not 
just about human rights--it's about economic security for us all.
  Workers should be able to make the decision about union 
representation without intimidation, indoctrination or misinformation. 
When we undercut the ability of working men and women to join unions, 
we are abandoning our own history and ideals, and sending a terrible 
message to the rest of the world. I commend this legislation to the 
attention of my colleagues and urge those who yet to do so, to join me 
in sponsoring this important legislation.

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