Maryland Congresswoman Donna Edwards stopped by the blog Firedoglake.com Saturday afternoon to talk with supporters. The Employee Free Choice Act was the topic of many questions from commenters.

In response to a question from Howie Klein about opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, Rep. Edwards said:

I know everyone has seen all the ads -- slick, aggressive and a pack of untruths. The opposition claims that somehow workers won't be able to choose a secret ballot -- as though somehow a secret ballot with your employer standing over your shoulder makes the election legitimate. The Employee Free Choice Act is about workers choosing how they want to organize, either by signing up or casting a ballot -- either way, it would be the workers' choice and not the boss'.

Rep. Edwards continued in response to a follow-up question about how to work with Members of Congress to pass the bill:

I think the real challenge here is on the Senate side and then work on shoring up Democrats on the House side. This is why I spent an hour on the House Floor on Thursday with my colleague Keith Ellison (D-MN) trying to bust some of the myths that the opposition has been spreading. We really need the Netroots out there blogging on the importance of the Employee Free Choice Act as a necessary component to rebuilding and strengthening the middle class.

Wanting to continue the discussion about the Employee Free Choice Act, I asked Rep. Edwards about Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison's questioning of Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis and the accusation his bank is working against the Employee Free Choice Act.

Rep. Ellison asked Lewis if it was appropriate to work against the Employee Free Choice Act while Bank of America received TARP funds. Lewis replied that if Bank of America saw opposing any bill to be in their best interest they should do what they can to oppose it.

Do you think that banks with TARP funds should be allowed to work against the Employee Free Choice Act? What can be done to stop Bank of America and other banks from fighting change with taxpayers' money?

Donna Edwards says that Bank of America and other bailed out banks shouldn't work against the Employee Free Choice Act:

I think that financial institutions that receive TARP funds need to get back to the banking and lending business and let Congress figure out how to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. These institutions should not be spending taxpayer money lobbying -- they've already caused enough grief and they're costing our children their future!

The last question she answered was about the unacceptable alternative written by CEOs, for CEOs. Rep. Edwards said the proposal is nothing but a "gimmick" and that supporters of the Employee Free Choice Act need to press on with the upper hand:

This is just another gimmick by the opposition to try to dilute the argument. One lesson I've learned is that we have the upper hand here -- a better argument, the truth, and the right thing for workers and our economy. Now is not the time to roll over for a premature compromise -- It's the time to roll up our sleeves and fight for this one for workers! My experience tells me that the opposition offers up a compromise when they know they are losing.

You can read the whole conversation at this link.