WHEREAS:
Organizing large numbers of new workers into the labor movement is critical for the survival of AFSCME and all other unions; and

WHEREAS:
Fair wages, decent benefits and job security for all workers are directly linked to the strength of the labor movement; and

WHEREAS:
Employers routinely flout the National Labor Relations Act and violate workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively; and

WHEREAS:
The National Labor Relations Act and the National Labor Relations Board lack any significant enforcement mechanisms to protect workers’ rights, allowing  employers to harass, intimidate, coerce, bribe and fire workers without substantive penalties; and

WHEREAS:
Even when unions win elections in a rigged system, employers often refuse to accept the will of the workers and to bargain a first contract; and

WHEREAS:
AFSCME and the AFL-CIO have secured 216 sponsors in the House of Representatives and 41 sponsors in the Senate for the Employee Free Choice Act, which will reform American labor law to level the playing field for workers who want to form unions and require employers to recognize unions that are supported by a majority of the workers.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That AFSCME make passage of the Employee Free Choice Act a key consideration for endorsements in the 2006 elections and a major priority for enactment in the next Congress; and
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME and all affiliates mobilize their membership and lobby Congress for passage of the Act.
 
 
SUBMITTED BY: Danny Donohue, President and Delegate
Barbara Reeves, Secretary and Delegate
CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000
New York