Two MSEA-SEIU Members Lobby on Capitol Hill

Two MSEA-SEIU members, Linda Morris and Helen Hanson, took part in SEIU's Change that Works Worker Mobilization on Capitol Hill last week.

Helen Hanson, SEIU's President Andy Stern, Linda Morris

The Worker Mobilization was around the Employee Free Choice Act. Linda and Helen, along with Subira Gordon from SEIU and members of the Communication Workers Association met with members of Senator Snowe's and Senator Collins' staff.

Senator Snowe's staff was encouraging in that they agreed to meet with workers during the Congressional break in April. These workers will get to meet with Senator Snowe herself and talk to her about the Employee Free Choice Act and what it will do to help workers form unions.

Senator Collins' staff expressed the senator's concerns over the secret ballot and what appears to be a loss of it. The workers meeting with her tried to explain that the Employee Free Choice Act does not take away the secret ballot if workers choose to form a union that way. The Employee Free Choice Act lets workers form unions by a majority sign up or by secret ballot if they choose. It stops the wrangling, threats, intimidation that employers and managers put workers through when they are trying to unionize. It also allows contract negotiations to start without the delay tactics management often times puts their unionized workers through.

Many workers have formed unions, just to have their contract negotiations stalled because management refuses to meet with them at the bargaining table.

While in Washington, D.C., SEIU held a rally in Lafayette Park, right outside the White House. Dana Graham, MSEA-SEIU's former president, spoke about issues facing workers while CEOs continue to make huge incomes at the expense of their workers. He spoke of workers rising trouble with health care and how incredibly expensive it is getting to be. He mentioned a neighbor of his that was skipping doses of her medications in order that her husband could have his.

SEIU also picketed outside the US Chamber of Commerce, across the street from Lafayette Park. The US Chamber of Commerce and other big business groups and coalitions are against Employee Free Choice. It scares them to think that they may wake up one morning to find that their workers have formed a union to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions.

On March 11, the Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in the House of Representatives as HR1409. There was also a Senate hearing that day on Employee Free Choice. The committee that heard it was Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of which Senator Ted Kennedy is the chair. The full hearing can be found at the link above. The workers' testimony is excellent.

There was much more support in favor of Employee Free Choice than there was against it. We didn't get to hear the workers' testimony as we had to prepare for our meeting with Senator Snowe's staff.

The next step, here in Maine, is to get that meeting with Senator Snowe herself, and talk to her about what it is like trying to unionize and have management down your throat, watching your back side.

My story of joining the union has none of that intimidation. Managment at Home Care for Maine told workers that they were remaining neutral and that the choice was up to us. We did not suffer the intimidation and threats that many workers face when trying to unionize. We also were able to bargain our first contract within six months of forming a union. Not many workers have that success story.