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To support the principles stated within the Employee Free Choice Act.
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WHEREAS, the freedom to form or join a union to promote better working conditions is a hard-fought, precious right of Americans, and one which has existed in various forms since the birth of this nation over two-hundred thirty years ago; and
WHEREAS, the moral compass that leads one to support that right continues to rest with the notion that workers deserve economic and legal protections, which enable access to opportunities to realize their full potential as productive employees, and
WHEREAS, The U.S. Congress created a separate U.S. Department of Labor in 1913, whose purpose was to "foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners of the United States, to improve their working conditions, and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment," and
WHEREAS, the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 was enacted to promote a mutually beneficial economic system by extending rights to workers who wish to form, join, or support labor organizations and to employers who wish to protect their commercial interests; and
WHEREAS, the freedom to form a union to protect one's interest also is internationally recognized by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a fundamental human right; and
WHEREAS, the advent of labor organizations has precipitated positive societal changes, which include higher job safety standards, the increasing of wages for workers, the diminishing of race and gender pay gaps, and the decrease in workplace discrimination; and
WHEREAS, continuing to protect a worker's fundamental right to form, join, or support a union is a public issue that requires public policy solutions, including legislative remedies; and
WHEREAS, The Employee Free Choice Act has been introduced in the U.S. Congress to preserve workers' freedom to join a union; and
WHEREAS, The Employee Free Choice Act would authorize the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union as the bargaining representative when a majority of employees voluntarily sign authorizations designating that union to represent them; and
WHEREAS, The Employee Free Choice Act would safeguard workers' ability to make their own, informed decisions when choosing to join a union, and provide for first contact mediation and arbitration, and establish meaningful penalties when employers violate workers' rights; Now, Therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of Columbus, Ohio supports the principles stated within the Employee Free Choice Act, believing it gives workers a fair chance, and urges Congress to take measures to protect and preserve American workers' precious freedom to choose for themselves whether or not to form a union.