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A $3-million campaign by American Rights at Work has been launched in support of the Employee Free Choice Act.
Washington (23 Jan. 2009) - A media campaign has been launched in the United States to make the Employee Free Choice Act law now that Barack Obama is president. Conducted by the group American Rights at Work (ARW), the $3-million campaign features workers making the case for the legislation in television ads aired across the country.
During his campaign, Obama pledged to sign the legislation if it is passed by the new American Congress.
The ads are part of an ongoing, comprehensive campaign from a broad coalition of labour and workers’ rights advocates working to enact the pro-middle class bill. They can be viewed at: www.FreeChoiceAct.org.
"These new ads serve as a reminder that in the current economic climate, the American public is hungry for measures to strengthen the middle class," says ARW.
"The Employee Free Choice Act will help level the playing field for workers by making it easier for them to bargain with their employers for better wages, benefits and working conditions. It will also help employees secure a contract in a reasonable period of time, and toughen penalties against employers who break the law," the group adds.
Make the economy work
“On Election Day, the American people voted for hope and change, and our ads continue their call for action to make our economy work for everyone again, not just CEOs and corporate special interests,” says ARW executive director Mary Beth Maxwell.
Maxwell was a featured speaker at the International Labour Rights Symposium organized and sponsored in Ottawa in November by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE).
“That’s why a substantial majority of Americans see the Employee Free Choice Act as part of the common sense solutions critical to economic recovery and reinvigorating the middle class.”
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The Employee Free Choice Act is popular legislation with support that transcends party lines.
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden co-sponsored the bill and it has broad support from the leadership and the majority of the new Congress.
A poll by Hart Research Associates released this month found that 73% of adults support passage of the the bill, including 87% of Democrats, 69% of Independents and 48% of Republicans.
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