Employee Free Choice Act Passes House

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_2915
WASHINGTON - On a 241-185 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Employee Free Choice Act, making it easier for workers to join together to improve their wages, benefits and working conditions.
The legislation faces an uncertain future in the U.S. Senate, however, and the Bush administration has vowed to veto the bill if it passes Congress. U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., said he will introduce the bill in the Senate soon, where it will likely face a filibuster by Republicans.

Thirteen Republicans joined 228 Democrats in approving the Employee Free Choice Act in the House. It requires employers to recognize a union when a majority of workers sign up. This simple process would eliminate many of the delays and illegal employer abuses that occur in the current bureaucratic election process.

Congressman Phil Hare, D-Ill., who worked for 13 years in a garment factory, called the Republican allegations a smoke-screen. The real issue, he said, is whether workers can have the opportunity to improve their lives and the future for their children.

"I would not be here today as a member of the United States Congress if it were not for my union," he said. "My union helped me send my kids to college. It helped me buy a house . . . But sadly more and more Americans are seeing these opportunities slip away."