House Passes Employee Free Choice Act in Spite of Hostile Campaign Resembling Unionbusting

WASHINGTON, March 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last ditch efforts by
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the final days before yesterday's vote on
the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800) failed to stop the U.S. House of
Representatives from passing the labor law reform legislation. Some 241
members, including 13 Republicans, supported the bill. "Hard-line business
groups were tripping over each other and sparing no expense to bully
lawmakers, misinform the public, and oppose free choice for workers," says
American Rights at Work Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell.
In a relentless effort to defeat the bill, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
purchased radio ads in 51 districts to target lawmakers. In an article
earlier this week about the expensive ad buy, Congress Daily quoted a U.S.
Chamber spokesperson who said, "We're making people feel pain."
In the weeks preceding the House floor vote, a well-financed and
coordinated message machine that included industry associations and
right-wing think tanks flooded the public debate with misinformation about
the bill's provisions. Conservative pundit George Will was a late recruit
to help obscure the existence of employer coercion during union organizing
campaigns.
"House members got a taste of the relentless attacks workers endure
every day when they stand up for themselves and support unions," says
Maxwell. "Can you imagine how a nurse with kids to feed feels when faced
with this kind of intimidation? This is exactly why workers need the
Employee Free Choice Act."
Concludes Maxwell, "Hardworking men and women can celebrate today
because Congress stood up for them and American democracy."
American Rights at Work (http://www.americanrightsatwork.org) is a leading
labor policy and advocacy organization. For more information on how
opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act are misinforming the public,
visit: http://www.antiunionnetwork.org.
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