American Rights at Work: Employee Free Choice Act

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About the Employee Free Choice Act

A growing, bipartisan coalition of policymakers supports the Employee Free Choice Act, federal legislation that would ensure workers have a free choice and a fair chance to form a union.

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June 26: Breaking News: 51 Senators Take a Stand for Workers' Rights

Breaking news from the Senate: just a few moments ago, the Senate took up the Employee Free Choice Act (S.1041). And we had incredible momentum today: 51 Senators stood up for workers’ rights! However, 60 votes were needed to proceed on the bill at this time. (See how your Senators voted here.)

Mary Beth Maxwell, Executive Director of American Rights at Work, released the following statement after the vote:

Today's procedural maneuver by a minority of Senators shows that they can stop the debate on the Senate floor, but they can't stop our momentum. Champions of workers' rights and their allies will do everything we can to push this vehicle forward in Congress. Anti-worker interests and legislators are standing in the way of progress, but they won't prevail. It's no longer about if—it's about when we restore workers' freedom to form unions. [...]

Hard-working men and women deserve a free choice and a fair chance at forming a union. And a majority in Congress recognize that the Employee Free Choice is a vital part of restoring America's middle class.

Workers finally have reason for hope because our leadership in Congress has launched a long-overdue debate on how to ensure that workers have a fair shot at the American Dream. Just three months ago, the House of Representatives passed this bill. And this week, the Senate took a giant step forward by bringing up this legislation to the floor and shining a spotlight on the need for true labor law reform.

Even more amazing was the range of individuals and organizations outside of the labor movement who lent their voices to this important fight this year. The experts and leaders who supported the bill in newspapers and on airwaves across the country. The organizations that issued strong statements of support to Congress and their members. The thousands who rallied in the Upper Senate Park and across the nation. And the hundreds of thousands of union members and non-union members alike who got involved through letters, faxes, and calls to Congress.

The incredible momentum for this critical workers' rights legislation would not have been possible without allies standing strong with us. Please join us in taking a moment to celebrate this progress before the hard work that lies ahead.

As always, stay tuned for updates on the Employee Free Choice Act on our website.

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Issue Focus: The Employee Free Choice Act

» Bill summary
» Senate sponsors
» Why we need it

Chart: Secret Ballots Aren't Enough

Opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act have a one-note strategy to derail reform of our broken labor law system with the bogus assertion: that "Elections for union representation are just like elections for Congress." We've created a chart that makes clear that current union elections involving secret ballots bear no resemblance to political elections.

» See why secret ballots aren't enough.

Click here to take action Urge your Senators to Co-Sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act

Momentum is building for the Employee Free Choice Act - federal legislation that would ensure workers have a free choice and a fair chance to form a union. Now that the bill is moving on to the Senate, we have an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen workers’ rights.

» Tell your Senators to co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act today!

Resource Library for the Employee Free Choice Act

American Rights at Work has assembled a comprehensive guide to research relating to the Employee Free Choice Act, including fact sheets, reports, and exclusive statistics that make the case for this important legislation.

» Visit our resource library.