CWA Kicks Off Labor's Million-Member Mobilization for Employee Free Choice Act

Four hundred activists from CWA District 1 have signed the first of a planned 1 million postcards that will tell a new president and Congress in January that working families across America want them to immediately enact the Employee Free Choice Act. CWAers were photographed as they signed, and their pictures will be posted online at a special campaign website.

CWA members attending the District 1 conference turn in signed postcards in support of the Employee Free Choice Act.

The signing took place at the District 1 conference Wednesday just as the AFL-CIO's Executive Council voted to commit to the program, dubbed the Million-Member Mobilization for the Employee Free Choice Act.

"The labor movement has agreed to get over 1 million members to help pass the Employee Free Choice Act next year," CWA District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton said. "Our members are the first in the nation to work towards the million-person goal. In just one day, hundreds of CWA members have joined this fight by signing postcards to the new president demanding passage of this important legislation. We are committed to mobilize our membership to fight for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act in 2009."

CWA has committed to getting at least 90,000 cards signed by members across the country, nearly 10 percent of the total that the AFL-CIO has pledged to submit to Congress.

"The corporate bullies who are scared to death of the Employee Free Choice Act have millions of dollars to spend to try to defeat it," CWA President Larry Cohen said. "Our side has millions of working families who are fed up with having their rights stomped on and our postcard campaign is one way we will make that abundantly clear to lawmakers."

The AFL-CIO Council statement noted that "opponents such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Right to Work Committee, the Center for Union Facts, the Heritage Foundation and hostile employers have mounted a huge no-holds-barred attack to stop workers from having their rights restored. They will say they are defending the secret ballot and speaking on behalf of workers. We need to show that workers can speak for themselves and America's workers will fight for the Employee Free Choice Act."

Not only will lawmakers have signed cards, they'll be able to put a face with the name. CWA members will be encouraged to upload pictures of themselves to a website so photos can be matched with cards when they are displayed in the U.S. Capitol. More details will be coming soon.

The cards, which locals, districts and sectors will be distributing across the country in coming weeks, tell the new president and lawmakers that the bill is "crucial legislation that will protect workers' freedom to choose a union and bargain collectively without management intimidation."

Further, it says, "Allowing more workers to freely join unions and bargain with their employers will help rebuild the middle class by expanding health care, improving retirement security and raising the standard of living for America's working families."

The cards will be presented to the new Congress after the November elections in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol building that is being arranged by the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

For more details about the campaign, read the AFL-CI0's Executive Council statement at http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/ecouncil/ec03042008l.cfm.