Hare Statement on Senate's Failure to Pass the Employee Free Choice Act

Statement

Hare Statement on Senate's Failure to Pass the Employee Free Choice Act

Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL), a former textile worker and union leader, today released the following statement after the Senate failed to reach the number of votes necessary to move the Employee Free Choice Act forward, despite having the support of a majority of Senators.

"I am deeply disappointed that the Senate could not muster enough votes to send this landmark piece of labor reform legislation to the President's desk.

"The employers that routinely harass and intimidate workers seeking to form a union can now continue their tactics with little or no consequence.

"Ironically—if this bill was put to its own majority rule principle—it would have passed the Senate—just as it did in the House with bipartisan support.

"For over 6 years, President Bush and his allies in Congress have sought to erode the most fundamental human right afforded to every worker: the ability to organize and bargain collectively.

"While opponents of this bill claim to be champions of the secret ballot, their true motivation—a cozy relationship with big business and a disdain for organized labor—could not be more abundantly clear.

"The system for forming a union in this country is badly broken—and middle-class Americans facing flat wages, record health care costs, and shrinking pensions—are suffering as a result.

"Anti-union forces should take only temporary comfort in today's vote. With 69 percent of Americans supporting the Employee Free Choice Act, I expect that any Senator who blocked this bill will be held to account by their constituents.

"This legislation will pass—it's only a matter of when."

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