On a 41-23 vote, the Minnesota Senate Wednesday approved a resolution supporting the federal legislation. The Minnesota House had a second reading of the resolution Monday and is poised for a final vote.
"The current system for forming unions and bargaining is broken," state Senator David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm, said during debate on the Senate resolution. "The system has to be changed to give all working people the freedom to have their own choice and bargain for better wages and benefits."
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Employee Free Choice Act March 1 and the legislation is awaiting action in the U.S. Senate. The Bush administration has vowed a veto.
The bill would require 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.
The bill also increases the penalties for employers who violate worker rights and provides for the arbitration of first contracts if the employer and union fail to reach agreement.
In 2005, more than 30,000 workers were fired or illegally penalized for supporting unions in their workplaces. At the same time, some 60 million workers say they would join unions if given the opportunity.
"When the right of workers to form a union is violated, wages fall, race and gender pay gaps widen, workplace discrimination increases, and job safety standards disappear," the Minnesota Legislature notes in its resolution.
Minnesota is one of at least 13 states and numerous local governments that have endorsed the Employee Free Choice Act, according to the national AFL-CIO.
For more information
Visit the national AFL-CIO website, www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca/
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On a 41-23 vote, the Minnesota Senate Wednesday approved a resolution supporting the federal legislation. The Minnesota House had a second reading of the resolution Monday and is poised for a final vote.
"The current system for forming unions and bargaining is broken," state Senator David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm, said during debate on the Senate resolution. "The system has to be changed to give all working people the freedom to have their own choice and bargain for better wages and benefits."
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Employee Free Choice Act March 1 and the legislation is awaiting action in the U.S. Senate. The Bush administration has vowed a veto.
The bill would require 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.
The bill also increases the penalties for employers who violate worker rights and provides for the arbitration of first contracts if the employer and union fail to reach agreement.
In 2005, more than 30,000 workers were fired or illegally penalized for supporting unions in their workplaces. At the same time, some 60 million workers say they would join unions if given the opportunity.
"When the right of workers to form a union is violated, wages fall, race and gender pay gaps widen, workplace discrimination increases, and job safety standards disappear," the Minnesota Legislature notes in its resolution.
Minnesota is one of at least 13 states and numerous local governments that have endorsed the Employee Free Choice Act, according to the national AFL-CIO.
For more information
Visit the national AFL-CIO website, www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca/