Employee Free Choice Act
Floor Speech
EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT -- (Extensions of Remarks - March 06, 2007)
The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 800) to amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts, and for other purposes:
* Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 800, the Employee Free Choice Act, and I applaud Chairman MILLER and the Education and Labor Committee for making working families and the rights of organized labor a national priority.
* Every employee's right to organize must be protected. Too often, this is not the case, and I saw it first hand when I worked in the retail industry. While many companies respect the rights of their employees, others put up hurdles and even break the law to keep workers from effectively coming together to fight for improved working conditions. This must be stopped.
* H.R. 800 ensures that American workers have a voice in the workplace. It allows workers to decide whether they want to form a union if the majority of workers sign authorization cards in support of the union, and it strengthens penalties for employers that discriminate against union supporters.
* This legislation is about strengthening America's working families. Union workers earn almost 30 percent more, on average, than non-union workers and approximately 44 percent more when you take into account wages and benefits.
* In my home State of Minnesota and throughout the country, families struggle every day to make ends meet. The Employee Free Choice Act protects employees' right to organize, allowing workers to bargain for the higher wages and the better benefits that American families rely on and that they deserve.
* On behalf of the working men and women of Minnesota, I am proud to support this legislation.
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