News Release
« BackUnion Membership Declining; Administration Calls for Support of EFCA
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report of union membership. The data show that private-sector union membership dropped from 7.6 percent in 2008 to 7.2 percent in 2009. Union-membership rates for manufacturing employees dropped from 11.4 percent to 10.9 percent.
In response, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said, “As workers across the country have seen their real and nominal wages decline as a result of the recession, these numbers show a need for Congress to pass legislation to level the playing field to enable more American workers to access the benefits of union membership. This report makes clear why the administration supports the Employee Free Choice Act.”
One Voice has been lobbying aggressively against this legislation. The bill stalled in the Senate last year because it did not have the required 60 votes needed to pass. However, Senators Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) have stated that the Senate is working on a compromise to attract the 60 votes. The Employee Free Choice Act would force companies to accept the conditions of a government-appointed arbitrator if an agreement between the union and the company cannot be reached within 120 days. A possible compromise would drop the actual “card check” portion of the bill and instead add other provisions that would allow union organizers access to company worksites, one-sided penalties only on employers, and “quickie” elections (in as little as seven days after the union asks for an election). One Voice will continue to speak out against this legislation and other bills and regulations that harm the employer-employee relationship.
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