In the current economic climate, the American public is eager to see Congress take action to strengthen the middle class and restore our nation's economy. To help working families improve their standard of living and get our economy back on track, Congress should pass federal legislation known as the Employee Free Choice Act.

Here's an update about the legislation (below), courtesy of SEIU President Andy Stern and Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger. This update is the first in a series of updates regarding efforts to get our economy back on track.

Overwhelming bipartisan support for the Employee Free Choice Act

The Employee Free Choice Act is bipartisan federal legislation that would give America's workers a fair and simple path to form unions so they have the opportunity to earn better pay, benefits and improved working conditions. The legislation would restore the rights of workers to form a union in their workplace by signing cards stating that they want a union.

Workers had the right to choose this majority sign up process for decades until the Supreme Court ruled in 1974 that employers could refuse to honor that choice. This bill also helps workers secure a contract in a reasonable period of time and toughens penalties against employers who violate the law.

The Employee Free Choice Act is an overwhelmingly popular piece of legislation that is critically important for our country's economic recovery. Over 60% of the American public supports the bill, as do President-elect Obama, Vice-President-elect Biden, and a bipartisan majority of Congressional members.

Unions will help restore America's middle class and strengthen our economy.

The Employee Free Choice Act is an integral part of restoring America's struggling middle class and creating an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. From 2000 - 2007, real median household income declined by more than $1,000 (PDF) while corporate profits nearly doubled. Meanwhile, workers in unions earn 30% higher wages and are 59% more likely to have employer-provided health insurance.

Don't believe the hype from big business. The Employee Free Choice Act does NOT eliminate workers' right to have a secret ballot election.

Big corporations and their lobbyists have already launched a campaign of disinformation to defeat the bill. They've incorrectly portrayed the Employee Free Choice Act as eliminating workers' rights to a secret ballot election. This claim is absolutely FALSE.

Currently, corporations, not workers, control the process on how workers form unions -- and can stack the deck in their favor. Even when a majority of workers sign cards saying they want to form a union, the company can legally force workers to go through the process all over again months later. During that time, many companies fire, harass, or intimidate workers who support a union. During the election process, over 90% of private sector employers resist their workers' efforts to form unions, according to Cornell University research, and a quarter even illegally fire union supporters.

The Employee Free Choice act allows workers to form a union when a majority of workers sign cards authorizing the union--putting the choice of how to form a union, whether by majority sign-up or an election, in the hands of workers, not corporations.

Since 2003, more than half a million Americans formed unions through majority sign-up - including workers at companies like Kaiser Permanente, Harley Davidson, and AT&T. There are also currently laws in thirteen (13) states that give groups of public and private employees the right to form unions through the majority sign-up process, including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Oregon.