Employee Free Choice Act Offers Benefits for Young Workers

Kelly Jacobsen is a young college student at Washburn University who has worked as staff on several campaigns and spoken at a Congressional press conference about the College Cost Reduction Act in 2007. We are grateful to promote her work here on FM. --Sarah

As a college freshman, I am often thankful I have several years before I will begin the difficult process of finding a job. But with massive company layoffs dominating the daily news, it is hard for me not to worry about whether or not my peers and I will be able to find jobs stable enough to support our families.

Proponents of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) recognize the current, daunting state of the economy and are striving to lend a helping hand to the American worker.

This piece of legislation, which was recently introduced in Congress, would give workers the freedom to decide for themselves to join a union, rather than facing company roadblocks. By forming a union, workers would then be allowed to bargain for better benefits, wages, and working conditions.

One goal of the EFCA is to level the playing field for all workers and prevent salary increases from strictly benefiting company CEOs.

“Despite our national economy, the production of American workers is up,” said Andy Sanchez, Secretary-Treasurer for the Kansas State AFL-CIO. “Each year American workers improve upon their production, yet they are left behind as the companies profits have grown by leaps and bounds. One needs to only look at what CEO salaries have increased by to realize something is out of whack.”

For young people, the benefits of joining a union are very promising. A 2008 report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) entitled “Unions and Upward Mobility for Young People” found that young union workers (ages 18-29) earned 12.4% more, on average, than their non-unionized counterparts.

The report also found that young union members are 17% more likely to have employer-provided health insurance and 24% more likely to have an employer-provided pension plan.

"Unions make a big difference for younger workers," said John Schmitt, a Senior Economist at CEPR and the author of the study. "There is no economic theory that says young people have to be poorly paid or go without benefits."

It is no secret that our country is experiencing a very trying time. While I am confident in our new President’s ability to navigate us back to a strong economy, I am fully expecting the process to be very exhausting. By allowing workers to choose to unionize, we can strengthen America’s middle class and create strong jobs for our communities.

“The middle class is what built this country and it is what continues to maintain America's prosperity,” Sanchez said. “It is also what will get us through this rough time.”

According the AFL-CIO, 60 million American workers who are not union members would opt to form a union tomorrow if given the chance. Please contact your representatives in Congress to encourage them to support the Employee Free Choice Act and give these workers the choice on whether or not to form a union. By doing so, you will be taking action to assure that all Americans get a fair share in the work place.