Eases Unionizing
Council Advocates Free Choice Act

By ARI PAUL

The City Council passed a resolution April 16 urging Congress to approve the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to join unions.

JOSEPH P. ADDABBO: Make case in Washington.

The Federal legislation would alter the National Labor Relations Act to create harsher penalties for employer violations of labor law when workers were engaged in organizing and contract negotiations. It would also make it easier for workers to unionize by merely requiring that they sign union cards, rather than going through a lengthy National Labor Relations Board election, which many labor leaders believe gives employers the ability to intimidate workers into voting against a union.

Cited Resistance

The Council's Civil Service and Labor Committee held two hearings on the resolution, in which it heard from workers and activists from the health care, entertainment and park conservation industries about the resistance they faced from employers when they expressed their intentions to form unions. They claimed to have majority support in their workplaces, meaning that if the EFCA were law, they would already be recognized as authorized bargaining agents if the members had signed union cards.

"We'll follow up on our New York delegation and congressional leaders and see if we can help them push this down in Washington," Civil Service and Labor Committee Chairman Joseph P. Addabbo said during a press conference at City Hall.

Joined by union leaders and rank-and-file members from the public and private sectors, Mr. Addabbo recalled testimony he had heard from workers about how employers in the city had used intimidation tactics to dissuade workers from joining unions.

"They are constantly harassed by employers," said Ed Ott, the executive director of the AFL-CIO New York City Central Labor Council. "In poll after poll, over 60 percent of workers express a desire to be professionally represented by a union. They never ask the second question: Are you willing to lose your job in order to do it? It's common knowledge that employers fire workers who attempt to create unions. They fire them with impunity."

Anti-Union Efforts

District Council 37 Organizing Director Edgar DeJesus spoke about his union's effort to organize workers at the Central Park Conservancy. He said that after the employer learned of the union drive, he forced workers to go to meetings during working hours in which he spread "lies" about unions.

"He allows an anti-union committee inspired by supervisors to conduct activity during worker hours," Mr. DeJesus said. "He conducted one-on-one interrogations of workers."

The bill had bipartisan support in Congress, but not enough to overcome a White House veto. Both Democratic candidates for President, U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, voted for the EFCA. The likely Republican nominee, U.S. Sen. John McCain, opposed it.

"We need free choice," said Queens Councilman David Weprin. "As far as I'm concerned, it's right up there with mom and apple pie."