National Nurses United

Bill Makes Unionization Possible for Thousands Through Card Check nly 12 percent of U.S. workers have a union, but 53 percent say they'd like a union in their workplace. So, if a majority of American workers want a union, why don't they have one? Ask any worker who has experienced a tough organizing campaign and you'll hear why. Employer abuse is rampant; 30 percent of employers illegally fire pro-union workers during union organizing drives, according to the advocacy group American Rights at Work. But if a proposed federal bill becomes the law of the land, the majority of workers just might get their wish. The Employee Free Choice Act, or EFCA, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a vote of 241 to 185 (including 13 Republicans in favor, and two Democrats opposing) earlier this month, states that a union can be certified as the bargaining representative if the National Labor O Relations Board (NLRB) finds that a majority of employees have signed union authorization cards. The bill also states that either party can seek resolve with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service if there is a 90-day or more bargaining impasse for a first contract. If there's no mediated resolution after 30 days, the dispute will go to arbitration. Additionally, there will be stronger penalties for employer violations during organizing or first-contract campaigns. Present-day union organizing laws hail back to 1935 when Congress passed the Wagner Act, officially guaranteeing workers' right to organize and bargain collectively under the rubric of the National Labor Relations Board. If workers try to organize a union with a privatesector employer, the NLRB usually schedules a secret-ballot election. But, between the campaign's opening and the actual vote, it's per- UNIONS FOR SINGLEPAYER Labor Supports HR 676 Labor support for HR 676, the federal bill introduced by Michigan Rep. John Conyers, Jr. that would establish national health insurance for all U.S. residents, is steadily growing as more unions sign on each day as endorsers. More than 240 union organizations in 40 states have joined, and a partial list appears below. For a full listing, check out our single-payer website at www.singlepayer.com. If you don't find your state or local labor group as a supporter, lobby to become one. STATE AFL-CIOS Connecticut AFL-CIO Minnesota AFL-CIO South Carolina AFL-CIO Wyoming AFL-CIO Delaware AFL-CIO Missouri AFL-CIO South Dakota AFL-CIO Vermont AFL-CIO Florida AFL-CIO North Carolina AFL-CIO Washington AFL-CIO Kentucky AFL-CIO North Dakota AFL-CIO West Virginia AFL-CIO Ohio AFL-CIO Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Wisconsin AFL-CIO INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL, AND STATE UNIONS AND LABOR GROUPS California Nurses Association/National New York Professional Nurses Union Nurses Organizing Committee New York State Nurses Association Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses Coalition of Labor Union Women and Allied Professionals International Longshore & Warehouse Union United Association of Journeymen Massachusetts Nurses Association & Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipe Nurses Professional Organization, Kentucky Fitting Industry of the United States National Association of Letter & Canada Carriers International Union United Auto Workers International Union National Education Association United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers MARCH 2007 W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G fectly legal for a company to hire anti-union consultants or hold coercive meetings; 91 percent of employers force employees to attend captive anti-union meetings. CNA/NNOC members know the problem first hand. Even in California, where the state law is stronger than the federal law, it's often an uphill battle. While California law states that local public agencies must recognize an "employee organization" [union] as the exclusive representative of the employees after a majority of workers have signed up for a union, hospitals still try to skirt the law. For instance, when the union in 2002 organized nurses with Palomar Pomerado Health, a healthcare district near San Diego, Calif., through gathering a majority of union authorization cards, the hospital tried to bust the union regardless of the state law. It was only after the nurses took a strike vote for recognition that the hospital came to the bargaining table to negotiate with the union for a first contract. Until the national climate changes—and that means changing the law—employers continue to feel that they have a free hand in trying to thwart workers' right to organize. "There are a lot of explanations for the growing inequality in our economy. But perhaps the most significant explanation is that workers' rights to join together and bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions have been severely undermined. To strengthen America's middle class, we have got to restore these rights," said Rep. George Miller, chair of the Committee on Education and Labor and the main sponsor of the legislation in the House. The bill is now headed for action in the Senate, where it reportedly faces a Republican-led filibuster. If it gets to the White House, President Bush has already announced that he will veto it. But meanwhile, public pressure is building and support grows for workers to have a chance to express their support for or against a union during an election drive, without fear of corporate intimidation. For more information, go to www.americanrightsatwork.org. —jo-ann mort REGISTERED NURSE 5

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