By: Jennifer M. Granholm
The Employee Free Choice Act is a vital part of an effective economic recovery program and President-elect Obama has said he will sign it into law. I support quick passage of this law because the wages and salaries of American workers provide critical fuel for the engine of economic growth. Declining family income and stagnate real wages underlie today's economic crisis.
The new administration is committed to giving the highest priority to policies and programs that promote sustainable, long term economic growth. The Employee Free Choice Act is a vital part of an effective economic recovery program and President-elect Obama has said he will sign it into law. I support quick passage of this law because the wages and salaries of American workers provide critical fuel for the engine of economic growth. Declining family income and stagnate real wages underlie today's economic crisis.
Unions provide workers the right to bargain for better wages and benefits. One of the most efficient means to restore the purchasing power of working families and stimulate economic recovery is to guarantee that right.
While CEO pay and corporate profits have risen dramatically, and worker productivity has grown consistently, wages have not kept pace. Today we have the greatest income inequality since the Great Depression. Working families are bearing the burden and our economic future is at risk.
Now, more than ever we need to make sure working Americans have the pay and benefits they need to deserve so we can get the economy back on the road to prosperity.
For more information about the Employee Free Choice Act, visit the websites of the AFL-CIO or Change to Win.
Statement by SEIU President Andy Stern:
"Yesterday, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm reaffirmed her commitment to protecting workers' free choice for a voice at work by calling for quick passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.
"Granholm understands that at a time when the auto industry is asking Congress for assistance to keep Michigan's core economic engine afloat and billions have already been spent bailing out Wall Street that we need to stop blaming workers for the decisions made in the board room and start finding ways to help working families that are facing tough times.
"The Employee Free Choice Act is a bipartisan non-governmental solution that's needed now to make sure that workers, not just CEOs, can have the chance for a voice at their companies to benefit from the economic progress they help create and to advocate for the best quality services and products for consumers and customers.
"Workers in unions earn 30 percent higher wages and are 59 percent more likely to have employer-provided health coverage. According to the Center for Economic Research, joining a union raises a woman's wage as much as a full-year of college, and a union raises the chance a woman has health coverage by more than earning a four-year college degree.
"Workers at successful companies like Kaiser Permanente, Harley Davidson, and AT&T have formed partnerships with their employers to benefit from the economic progress they help create and to advocate for the best quality services and products for consumers and customers.
"SEIU members agree with Governor Granholm that President-elect Obama and Congress should act quickly to pass the Employee Free Choice Act to help create an economy that works for everyone."
Marcus Mrowka,SEIU.org
202-730-7759
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