The debate over card check legislation heats up this week, with the reintroduction of the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 1409 / S. 560) by U.S. Congressman George Miller (D-Calif.) and U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). The legislation that could overturn nearly 70 years of federally supervised secret ballot representation in union elections is organized labor’s number one issue and President Obama has indicated that he will sign the bill into law if it reaches his desk.

AFS supports the basic rights of all employees to decide freely whether or not to join a union, however, we strongly believe that a federally-supervised, private ballot election is the best way for employees to make this decision. Additionally, we believe that the mandatory binding arbitration included under EFCA would impose unwanted employment conditions on both employees and employers.

For more information on the Employee Free Choice Act, click here for the National Association of Manufacturers toolkit.

To convey your opposition to your elected officials about this legislation, AFS is calling its members to take action in the form of letter submission. To submit these letters, follow these steps:

• create a letter utilizing the AFS sample letters (which can be downloaded by clicking on the appropriate link below), inserting your letterhead and/or company logo. If you have a non-union shop, include information on the excellent health benefits, wages and leave time that you already offer your employees
• fax or email the revised letters to your U.S. Congressmen. To obtain email and fax addresses, visit www.congress.org or email Caroline Mojonnier, AFS Washington office, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you have a staff contact in the member office, copy that person on the letter.
  

For more information, contact Alicia Oman, AFS Washington Office, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 202/842-4864 .

AFS Employee Free Choice Act  Sample Letter (U.S. Senate)
AFS Employee Free Choice Sample Letter (U.S. House of Representatives)