HomeMy WebLinkAbout85A - FREEDOM EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACTEXHIBIT A
EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, in the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 151 et
seq.) the United States Congress declared it to be the policy of the United States to
encourage the practice of collective bargaining by protecting the exercise by workers of
full freedom of association, self-organization, and designation of representatives of their
own choosing for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their
employment or other mutual aid or protection; and
WHEREAS, the freedom to form or join a union is recognized as a fundamental
human right; and
WHEREAS, union membership provides workers with better wages, improved
benefits, and protection from discrimination and unsafe workplaces; and
WHEREAS, unions benefit communities by moving families out of poverty,
creating economic security, strengthening tax bases, promoting equal treatment, and
enhancing civic participation; and
WHEREAS, because union workers are more likely to have healthcare coverage
and pensions, union membership also reduces the need for working families to rely on
the social safety net; and
WHEREAS, unions helped to build the middle class in this country and to
establish basic working standards that benefit all workers, such as the 8-hour day and
the right to a lunch break; and
WHEREAS, a worker's fundamental right to join a union is essential to rebuilding
our economy and revitalizing our middle class; and
WHEREAS, fifty-seven million United States workers have indicated that they
would join a union tomorrow if given the opportunity; and
WHEREAS, nearly four in five (78%) Americans favor legislation that would
make it easier for workers to bargain with their employers according to recent research
from Peter Hart Associates; and
WHEREAS, when the freedom of workers to form a union is violated, wages
decline, race and gender pay gaps widen, workplace discrimination increases, and job
safety standards lapse; and
WHEREAS, federal legislation known as the Employee Free Choice Act will be
introduced this year in the United States Congress in order to restore workers' freedom
to join unions.
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Santa Ana City Council supports the
Employee Free Choice Act which would authorize the National Labor Relations Boards
to certify a union as the bargaining representative when a majority of employees
voluntarily sign authorizations designating that union to represent them; provide for first
contract mediation and arbitration; and establish meaningful penalties for violations for a
worker's freedom to choose a union.
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Santa Ana City Council
urges Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act to protect and preserve for
America's workers their freedom to choose for themselves whether or not to form a
union.
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