In Solidarity

	Dear Phillip, American workers need help - and there's something you can do about it. Regardless of where you live or what you do, labor unions are our first line of defense for worker's rights. What do they fight for? Raising the minimum wage. Improving labor standards. Expanding health care benefits. Protecting retirement security. And these fights don't only make a difference in the workplace: They are critical to providing economic security for families, strengthening our communities and rebuilding America's middle class. Every day, millions of Americans work hard and play by the rules but are still struggling to get by. Democrats understand the important role that labor unions play to fix this crisis. The Senate is set to debate a bill that will restore American workers' right to freely choose whether or not to form a union. Join the Democratic majority in the Senate and show your support for the Employee Free Choice Act: http://www.democrats.org/WorkersRights Research shows union members earn 30% more than nonunion workers. What's more, union workers are 63% more likely to have employer-provided health insurance, and are four times more likely to have a guaranteed pension. The benefits of union membership are clear. That's why nearly half of American workers who are not currently represented by unions -- 60 million people -- say that they'd join one if they had the chance. But every year since 1981, union membership has declined. And a major reason for that fall-off is the many obstacles workers face when they try to form a union or negotiate a union contract. The Employee Free Choice Act is a simple, effective solution to restore the right of workers to form unions and bargain for better wages and benefits for themselves and their families. It has three key provisions: Require employers to recognize a union if a majority of workers sign authorization cards saying they want union representation. Provide mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes. Strengthen penalties for companies that illegally intimidate employees to prevent them from forming a union. No management coercion, no waiting period, no stacked deck -- just the freedom for workers to stand up for their rights. Democratic leaders in the Senate overwhelming support the Employee Free Choice Act, but that may not be enough to pass the bill. Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans blocked this legislation in the last session of Congress, and they're prepared to do it again. The fact is, the Senate Republicans don't care what's best for the American people - only what's best for themselves and their corporate cronies. We saw it during a decade-long filibuster on the minimum wage. We see it now with the escalation in Iraq. Don't let it happen again with the Employee Free Choice Act: http://www.democrats.org/WorkersRights Big business is scared of the Employee Free Choice Act -- and that's why they're doing everything in their power to stop it. 75% of companies hire consultants or union-busters to fight organizing campaigns. And their tactics work: every 23 minutes, a worker is fired or discriminated against for supporting a union. All in all, over 22,000 workers each year are illegally fired, demoted, laid off, suspended without pay, or denied work by their employers as a result of union activity. Why have our leaders in Washington allowed this to happen? Follow the money trail. The public opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act is funded in large part by GOP-allied corporate lobbyists and interest groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Conservative Union, and Americans for Tax Reform. The dozens of groups that make up the "Coalition for a Democratic Workplace" spend big bucks each election cycle buying Republicans' votes on bills like this one. This is nothing new. Big Business always gets what it wants from the Republicans-- from an energy bill written by Cheney's oil industry pals to a prescription drug bill full of giveaways to Big Pharma. This time, though, the Democrats in Senate can stop them. Show the Senate that you will stand with America's workers and stop any obstruction of the Employee Free Choice Act: http://www.democrats.org/WorkersRights Do you believe in the right to demand a raise? Health care coverage? A pension? Do you believe workers should have a voice in their workplaces? The fate of the Employee Free Choice Act depends on your work. Help score an important victory for worker's rights and for rebuilding America's middle class. In Solidarity, Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
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