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

"I wanted my coworkers to be treated fairly so we could be better advocates for our students."

My name is Roberta Ayala and I'm a teacher's assistant at Laradon Hall, a private organization in Denver, Colorado. I work with teenagers with severe emotional problems as well as non-verbal autistic children.

I help my students with basic personal and medical needs and provide academic support.

I love my students. And I love the advancements they are able to make. It's the most difficult most rewarding job I've ever had.

But we needed some changes in my workplace if we were going to really help move our students forward.

We didn't have enough teachers and teaching assistants to provide the one-on-one attention the students require. We had no voice in creating a better learning environment for kids. And we wanted additional training opportunities and better safety procedures to allow us to provide better care.

We also have a very high turnover rate. Our students need stable teaching staff to make real progress.

My co-workers and I raised our concerns multiple times but management dismissed us and no changes were ever made.

We knew the only way we were going to win a voice on the job was to form a union. That way we could make changes in the classroom and win improvements for our families.

I have a four year-old son. I want to give him the best life possible. I need a paycheck that can support us. I knew having a union would bring us closer to achieving the American Dream.

Eighty percent of us signed cards supporting the union. But the school refused to 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.

They wanted to scare us. They wanted us to give up. But it didn't work--we won our election.

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.

From the very beginning, my sole reason for having joined with my co-workers to form a union was for the safety and care of the kids. Imagine what it does to developmentally disabled children when they lose 70 percent of their caregivers.

Eighteen months after our election, we finally won our first contract. We finally won a voice in classroom decisions. But it shouldn't have been this hard to win improvements for our students.

It's time for Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. We can't wait any longer.

>> To read more about the new ad and grassroots campaign, "Faces of the Employee Free Choice Act," visit SEIU's blog here.