Candidates Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen, Al Franken and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer discussed the importance of a unions at a forum sponsored Nov. 14 by the Southeast Area Labor Council. View video of their responses to a question about the Employee Free Choice Act:
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved EFCA, which would make it easier for workers to organize unions and bargain contracts. But the legislation did not even come up for a vote in the Senate. Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman was a key player in stopping EFCA from moving forward.
Coleman has a 24 percent voting record on workers\' issues in his first term in the Senate, the national AFL-CIO reports.
Replacing Coleman with a pro-worker senator would make a huge difference, the four candidates said. All said they would work to immediately get the Senate to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
Currently, thousands of Americans are fired or illegally disciplined every year for trying to join unions, a situation Cohen described as "scandalous."
"Workers are coerced. Workers are being prevented from becoming members of unions," he said. In addition, only about a third of those who organize unions are able to get a contract because of further employer opposition, he noted.
Franken is a member of four entertainment-industry unions – Screen Actors Guild, AFTRA, Writers Guild and Directors Guild.
"I know how important it is to be able to organize," he said. "I know the kind of intimidation that is put on workers."
But passage of EFCA should just be a first step, he said. Congress should pass legislation overturning the recent National Labor Relations Board ruling, known as "Kentucky River," that deprived many workers of the right to join unions by classifying them as supervisors.
"We need to get a new NLRB and one that is with pro-labor members," Franken said.
Ciresi said, "I have represented all kinds of unions over the course of my career. I\'ve fought to create a level playing field. That\'s what we need to do."
In addition to addressing bad rulings by the NLRB, the Senate needs to exert greater oversight over the selection of federal judges who "make profoundly important decisions" on workplace issues, he said.
Nelson-Pallmeyer said, ". . . even if we pass EFCA, we\'d better be very vigilant, because we\'ve seen what a right-wing president has done to the National Labor Relations Board. He\'s turned what should be a pro-workers group into an anti-labor group."
Congress needs to pass legislation barring corporations from using bankruptcy "to break unions and steal pensions," he said.
"If we want to rebuild the middle class, we better rebuild the union movement . . ."
Video provided by Southeast Area Labor Council. Editing by John See, University of Minnesota Labor Education Service.
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Candidates Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen, Al Franken and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer discussed the importance of a unions at a forum sponsored Nov. 14 by the Southeast Area Labor Council. View video of their responses to a question about the Employee Free Choice Act:
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved EFCA, which would make it easier for workers to organize unions and bargain contracts. But the legislation did not even come up for a vote in the Senate. Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman was a key player in stopping EFCA from moving forward.
Coleman has a 24 percent voting record on workers\’ issues in his first term in the Senate, the national AFL-CIO reports.
Replacing Coleman with a pro-worker senator would make a huge difference, the four candidates said. All said they would work to immediately get the Senate to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
Currently, thousands of Americans are fired or illegally disciplined every year for trying to join unions, a situation Cohen described as "scandalous."
"Workers are coerced. Workers are being prevented from becoming members of unions," he said. In addition, only about a third of those who organize unions are able to get a contract because of further employer opposition, he noted.
Franken is a member of four entertainment-industry unions – Screen Actors Guild, AFTRA, Writers Guild and Directors Guild.
"I know how important it is to be able to organize," he said. "I know the kind of intimidation that is put on workers."
But passage of EFCA should just be a first step, he said. Congress should pass legislation overturning the recent National Labor Relations Board ruling, known as "Kentucky River," that deprived many workers of the right to join unions by classifying them as supervisors.
"We need to get a new NLRB and one that is with pro-labor members," Franken said.
Ciresi said, "I have represented all kinds of unions over the course of my career. I\’ve fought to create a level playing field. That\’s what we need to do."
In addition to addressing bad rulings by the NLRB, the Senate needs to exert greater oversight over the selection of federal judges who "make profoundly important decisions" on workplace issues, he said.
Nelson-Pallmeyer said, ". . . even if we pass EFCA, we\’d better be very vigilant, because we\’ve seen what a right-wing president has done to the National Labor Relations Board. He\’s turned what should be a pro-workers group into an anti-labor group."
Congress needs to pass legislation barring corporations from using bankruptcy "to break unions and steal pensions," he said.
"If we want to rebuild the middle class, we better rebuild the union movement . . ."
Video provided by Southeast Area Labor Council. Editing by John See, University of Minnesota Labor Education Service.