RE: Support working Americans—cosponsor Employee Free Choice Act

Dear Senator ,

Some 57 million U.S. workers say they would join a union if they could. But, as Human Rights Watch has documented, employers routinely harass, coerce, intimidate and stall to block workers' freedom to choose union representation. And our labor laws are too weak to stop them. In fact, every 23 minutes a worker is fired or penalized for supporting a union.

H.R. 1696, the Employee Free Choice Act, would ensure that when a majority of employees in a workplace decide to form a union, they can do so without the debilitating obstacles employers now use to block their free choice. I urge you to cosponsor and actively support this important legislation.

Specifically, the Employee Free Choice Act would strengthen protections for workers' freedom to form unions by requiring employers to recognize a union once a majority of workers signed cards authorizing union representation. It also would provide for mediation and arbitration of first-contract disputes and authorize stronger penalties for employers that violate the legal rights of workers seeking to form unions or negotiate first contracts.

Union workers typically earn 28 percent more than nonunion workers to support their families and contribute to their communities. Union members are much more likely than nonunion workers to have vital benefits such as health care coverage, disability insurance and retirement security. Working Americans are the backbone of our great nation and deserve the unfettered right to come together to ensure fair compensation for their work.

I strongly urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 1696, the Employee Free Choice Act.

Most Sincerely,

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