Now, in my experience, there aren't that many cherry blossoms in Nebraska this time a year. Or statues of Civil War generals. Or, uh, White Houses.
But for whatever reason, that's the backdrop the Chamber of Commerce has chosen for their new anti-Employee Free Choice Act attack ad in the state, an ad whose theme of is supposedly "You can't let Washington tell Nebraskans what to do."
As it so happens, I agree with that message. And so do a great number of Nebraskans who are speaking out on behalf of the Employee Free Choice Act:
OK, so maybe poking fun at the Chamber's vision of "Cornhusker State on the Potomac" seems a little unwarranted (after all, they did at least take a picture of the Nebraska State Capitol), but in fact this is exactly the issue that's at stake. Bureaucrats in Washington shouldn't be able tell us what to do, and neither should the fat cats on Wall Street.
Workers should have the right to decide whether and how to form a union on their own, and that's exactly what the Employee Free Choice Act is all about.
As Terry Werner of the Nebraska Association of Social Workers wrote recently: "As social workers, our commitment is to help others help themselves. That's precisely why we support the Employee Free Choice Act." And that's why so many Nebraskans have joined Terry in this statewide campaign. In the coming weeks and months, I'll continue to share their stories from the frontlines all over this state. And, hopefully, we can help bring some of that Nebraska message to DC.
Until next time,
-Ryan Anderson
SEIU:Change That Works Nebraska
