Last week, the Faces of the Employee Free Choice Act billboard kicked off with style in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Covered in an article by Seacoast Online, the purpose of the tour is to urge Senators Snowe and Collins to support the Employee Free Choice Act by showing the real-life workers behind the movement against worker intimidation.

Some of those 'faces' present at the rally on Wednesday in support of the Employee Free Choice Act were Paul O'Connor, President of the Metal Trades Council, and Kirk Miller, President of IFPTE Local 4, the local union of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Said Miller, to Seacoast Online, on why he and his fellow workers support the act:

"At the Shipyard most workers are represented by a union because they not only see the importance of having a voice in the workplace, but because the Navy, to their credit, does not stand in the way of the will of a majority or workers to have a union, if they so choose," said Kirk Miller, President of IFPTE Local 4 at the shipyard. "Sadly, this is not the case in the private sector, where hard working people who want to improve their working conditions are threatened and intimidated by their employers when they show an interest in forming a union."

Just as Maine's Veterans stand in support of the Employee Free Choice Act for what it can do to improve Maine's private sector economy, so do the people who build the ships they fight on. They all understand that a stronger workforce means a stronger middle class, which means a better economy for everyone, and that the ability to organize without intimidation is the first step.

Also present at the rally were two of the campaign's featured 'faces,' E.J. Russell and Cecile Martin, two workers from Maine who have been victims of employee harassment and intimidation while trying to organize unions. Said Paul O'Connor, President of the Metal Trades Council, of the opposition both faced while attempting to form unions:

"Cecille,almost 20 years ago and E.J. just last year. Both of them faced employer opposition, in both cases their employer sought to stop their efforts to form a union and bargain. It is because of stories like these that we are calling on our Congressional Delegation to support the Employee Free Choice Act."

Across the state, hard working Mainers and their families are stepping forward to voice their support for what Maine AFL-CIO president Ed Gorman calls "common sense legislation": the Employee Free Choice Act. By putting reasonable time limits on contract negotiations, and strengthening penalties against employers who attempt to intimidate workers who desire a union, the Employee Free Choice Act will put the power back where it belongs: in the hands of the workers who make our state great.

In addition to the statistics that prove the positive impact increased unionization will have on Maine's economy, stories from workers like Martin and Russell prove the need for increased protection from harassment provided by the Employee Free Choice Act.

Do your part: sign our petition to support the Employee Free Choice Act in Maine today: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/millionforfreech

Harley riders. Pancake breakfasts. Governor Howard Dean.

What do they all have in common? They're just a few of the unique ways that SEIU's keeping our campaigns for health care reform and Employee Free Choice moving during the Memorial Day recess.

As the Congressional week draws to a close, and Members head back to their districts, they'll be greeted by a wave of activities on the ground, in the mail and over the airwaves, letting them know that working families need affordable, quality health care, and the right to bargain with their employers for job security and better benefits.

Here's just a few highlights from the more than 100 events in 16 states taking place next week:

• In North Dakota, SEIU leaders will be participating in a Divided We Fail event with Senator Conrad. Keep an eye out for our traveling "Faces of the Employee Free Choice Act" billboards as well.
• In Colorado, we'll be standing with former Gov. Howard Dean at a town hall to champion the need for a real public health insurance option. We're also going to be partnering with the Sierra Club in CO to highlight the economic and environmental support for Employee Free Choice and green jobs, through community engagement and signs along the road.
• In Maine, our "Faces of the Employee Free Choice Act" billboards will travel the state from event to event, where members will be making calls to their Senators. Maine is also one of nearly a dozen states where we'll be releasing our "Value of Reform" reports that demonstrates the true value of changing our broken healthcare system.
• In Virginia, we will continue our statewide door-to-door canvassing campaign to build community support.
• In Montana, we'll join Senator Tester at events across the state to share personal stories on why the legislation is needed.

In addition, we're keeping the heat on through television ads, mail and phone calls asking Senators where they stand: with working families or with corporate CEOs? Like this ad, currently running in Pennsylvania, noting that Sen. Specter voted for Employee Free Choice two years ago, and now has a big decision to make about his priorities.

During these next few weeks, we'll be sprinting to the finish line on major pieces of legislation that will truly deliver the change we voted for in November. To get involved, become a part of Change that Works and start making the difference in health care reform and ensuring workers have a voice on the job today.

Please take a moment to write Sen. Bennet and tell him to stand up for hard-working Coloradans like us.

This past week, the Employee Free Choice Act came home to Colorado in a way that hadn't been seen before: with a traveling billboard featuring two people whose lives would have been better had the act been in place.

Dan Luevano was an electrician, working hard to support his family. Roberta Ayala taught art and supported non-verbal autistic children at a private school in Denver.

I didn't have a chance to talk to Roberta; I did spend a few minutes talking with Dan, asking him how he came to be one of the faces of the employee free choice movement.

On Tuesday, March 31, Hollywood "West Wing" stars Martin Sheen and Bradley Whitford descended upon the nation's Capitol to join workers, union leaders and members of Congress for the unveiling of a new ad and grassroots campaign, "Faces of the Employee Free Choice Act."

The campaign features 50-foot-high banners displayed on buildings throughout Washington, DC, and billboard trucks in states across the country. A different union member is pictured on each banner, accompanied by a quote about why the Employee Free Choice Act is imperative for all workers to restore their freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life.

One worker who told her story at today's star-studded event on the Hill was SEIU Local 105 member Roberta Ayala, the "face" adorning the banner splashed across SEIU's building on Massachusetts Ave. Roberta is a teacher's aide at a private organization in Denver, CO and works with teenagers with severe emotional problems, as well as non-verbal autistic children.

"I had always believed a union was the fairest way to work," says Roberta, whose father and grandfather were in unions. "I believed that if we had a union, this unfair treatment wouldn't be happening. I wanted my coworkers to be treated fairly so we could be better advocates for our students," said Roberta, detailing how she and the other employees in her school repeatedly went to management with their concerns on understaffing and increasing safety and training procedures to create a better learning environment for the kids--but were ignored. So they decided to form a union:

Eighty percent us signed cards supporting the union. But the school wouldn't recognize our decision. We filed for an election and that's when management began harassing and intimidating us. They even fired several teachers' assistants--making our staffing problems even worse.

[...] Management continued their intimidation tactics even after we won our election. The facility experienced a 70 percent turnover in staff because of the campaign waged by management...Imagine what it does to developmentally disabled children when they lose 70 percent of their caregivers.

The current system to form a union in the workplace is slanted in favor of employers who too often use harassment and intimidation to stop unions and keep workers from getting a fair deal. "Eighteen months after our election, we finally won our first contract," says Roberta. "We finally won a voice in classroom decisions. But it shouldn't have been this hard to win improvements for our students." Read Roberta's entire story here.

The experiences of workers like Roberta show the necessity of the Employee Free Choice Act. "Without the protections provided by the Employee Free Choice Act, workers looking to join unions are subject to harassment, disinformation, and dismissal, because of a system that is exploited by, and stacked in favor of management," said actor Bradley Whitford, stressing that we must not allow lawmakers to put their own job protection ahead of the protection of their working constituents.

Around the country, activists are gearing up for the April 6-17 congressional recess by planning stepped-up mobilization actions in cities around the country to build support for the Employee Free Choice Act--so stayed turned for details on upcoming actions in the coming week.

To learn more about the "Faces" campaign and see the workers' billboards, visit www.americanrightsatwork.org