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Friend of APWU Urges Colleagues
On Capitol Hill to Support ‘Employee Free Choice’

APWU Web News Article #014-09, Feb. 12, 2009

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) is urging Members of Congress to support every employee’s right to form a union.

“I believe every person who is willing to work hard deserves a place in the middle class and a chance at the American dream,” Murphy wrote in a Feb. 10 Dear Colleague letter. “That is why we must pass the Employee Free Choice Act.”

U.S. Rep. Patrick Murhphy (D-PA) spoke to workers at the USPS bulk mail facility in Philadelphia, Sept. 13, 2008. [read more]

Murphy noted that the American people, in record members, showed last November that they are “demanding a change from the failed economic policies of the last eight years. By leveling the playing field for the millions of workers who wish to unionize, this bill would be a major step toward realizing that change.”

“The Employee Free Choice Act would stiffen penalties for harassment, intimidation, and other illegal tactics employers often use,” said APWU Legislative and Political Department Director Myke Reid. “It would strengthen laws that guarantee workers’ rights to form unions.”

“President Obama has vowed to sign the bill if it is adopted by Congress,” said APWU President William Burrus. “Getting it to his desk is one of the top legislative priorities of the labor movement and the APWU.”

“As members of Congress, we must stand in solidarity with the workers who want and demand to have their voices heard,” Murphy wrote. “We must pass the Employee Free Choice Act of 2009, thereby providing a ladder to the middle class and ensuring that those who wish to unionize are never denied that fundamental right.”

Murphy not only has been a strong advocate for EFCA, he has been a staunch supporter of postal workers. Last fall, he organized a press conference outside the Philadelphia Bulk Mail Center to protest plans to privatize operations at the nation’s 21 BMCs.

[more news about the Employee Free Choice Act]

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