Netroots movement essential to pass Employee Free Choice

[Omaha Steve]

http://transitional.pww.org/article/view/16734/

Author: Tony Pecinovsky
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 08/13/09 23:50

PITTSBURGH - "We are on the verge of passing the most important piece of legislation in 75 years - the Employee Free Choice Act," AFL-CIO director of organizing Stewart Acuff told a packed panel discussion here at the national Netroots conference August 13.

"This is the biggest fight between labor and capital since 1947, when big business pushed through the Taft-Hartley Act," Acuff continued. "But, if this was just labor's fight we would never win. The engagement of the netroots movement is incredibly important."

According to Acuff, the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) will accomplish three goals. First, it will streamline the process of forming a union. Second, it will provide real penalties for employers who violate the law. Third, it will provide real incentives to negotiate a first contract.

In its effort to pass EFCA, the labor movement has generated over 200,000 hand written letters, 100,000 phone calls and has delivered over 1,000,000 postcards to the hill - just this year alone.

Acuff added, "The labor movement is the engine for social progress. All of us who believe in a different America have a stake in this fight."

Jake McIntyre, from the Bricklayer's Union, said, "We all recognize why unions are great. They bargain for better wages, pensions, health care and job protection. But," he added, "we have to appeal to the base of the democratic party who don't know that there is a direct connection between union members - union growth - and progressive voters."

"More union members means more democratic and progressive voters. More progressive voters means electing more progressive politicians. More progressive politicians means winning progressive legislation," McIntyre concluded.

FULL story at link.