The Economic Argument for the Employee Free Choice Act

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.seiu.org/2009/01/the-economic-argument-for-the-employee-free-choice-act.php

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3:47 PM Eastern - January 13, 2009
The Economic Argument for the Employee Free Choice Act
By Brad Levinson

As the new administration and Congress works to lift the U.S. economy out of the economic crisis, we've been working on some analyses on how our country has recovered economically since the 1940's.

What we've found isn't much of a surprise, and it makes sense: economic success occurs when rising wages spur consumer spending.

That's exactly what the Employee Free Choice Act is designed to deliver, and the legislation will play a central role in building a strong middle class that will usher in the next era of American economic strength and prosperity.

New research makes a solid case as to why the Employee Free Choice Act would be a "stimulus" that gets our economy back on track. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that if 5 million service workers join unions:

* 5 million workers would get a 22 percent raise on average, or an additional $7,000 a year;
* $34 billion in total new wages would flow into the economy;
* 900,000 jobs would be lifted above the poverty wage for a family of four ($10.22/hr); and
* Between 1.8 million and 3 million dependent children would share in these benefits.
* The economic impact on individuals would be about four times as large as the recent federal minimum wage increase, and allow nearly six times more in new wages to flow into the economy.

FULL story at link.