by James Parks, Jun 19, 2007

Half of the nation’s Democratic governors have signed a letter calling for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. The 14 governors join the nearly 1,300 state and local elected officials who have expressed support for the legislation in all 50 states.

Debate began in the Senate this morning on the bill (S. 1041), which would level the playing field when workers seek to form a union. The support of the governors and local elected officials is crucial because they see every day the hardships caused by the declining wages and lack of benefits for working families.

In the letter, the governors say:

When workers try to form unions, all too often they are harassed, intimidated and even fired for their support of the union. These attacks on workers’ rights, for which there are only weak—if any—remedies, occur all too frequently among the most vulnerable workers of our society, including women, the working poor of all races, and recent immigrants. As a result, those workers who need unions the most are often those who have the least chance of achieving the benefits of unionization.

 The governors’ support is part of the growing momentum behind the bill. Working families have made more than 50,000 phone calls, sent 156,000 faxes and e-mail messages and mailed 220,000 postcards to their senators asking for their support.  

To date, 55 cities, counties and state legislatures have passed resolutions in support of the Employee Free Choice Act, while 1,272 state and local elected officials have pledged their support. Meanwhile, state legislatures across the country, including New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Oregon, have passed majority authorization legislation for public sector workers, a key provision in the Employee Free Choice Act. Click here for a list of resolutions supporting the legislation.

The governors who have signed the letter include: Bill Ritter (Colo.), Rod Blagojevich (Ill.), Chet Culver (Iowa), Kathleen Sebelius (Kansas), John Baldacci (Maine), Jennifer Granholm (Mich.), Jon Corzine (N.J.), Bill Richardson (N.M.), Eliot Spitzer (N.Y.), Ted Strickland  (Ohio), Ted Kulongoski (Ore.), Edward Rendell (Pa.), Christine Gregoire (Wash.) and Jim Doyle (Wis.).  

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