9to5 at Southern Labor Union Meeting

The newly elected officers of the national AFL-CIO stopped in Atlanta this past Monday to meet with union members and labor community leaders (9to5 included!) for a discussion on the foreclosure crisis in the South. Although this was the first union meeting I had ever attended, the few expectations I had of what it might be like were met almost immediately. The walls were covered with colorful political rallying posters for the Employee Free Choice Act (for more info about this important legislation, click here).

There was speech-making and hand-shaking by politicians running for office in the impending city elections. Almost every speaker ended at a fevered-pitch, shouting over the cheers of what was a surprisingly vocal crowd for 8am in the morning.

Several of the speakers decried the predatory lending schemes that have targeted low-income minorities with loans doomed for foreclosure. A single mother and a woman in retirement, both of whom had lost their homes after being led into risky loans, went to the podium to tell their stories. There were even plans to head down the Wachovia Bank headquarters to call for a moratorium on foreclosures which was ultimately canceled due to the louder demands of the Georgia weather.

If you’re interested in learning more about how the discriminatory targeting practices of lenders have affected low-income and minority workers in the foreclosure crisis, read this article by Barbara Ehrenreich in the New York Times called “The Recessions Racial Divide.” Take a closer look at the the banner that was made to take to the Wachovia headquarters.

REPORT: Race and the Recession

The Applied Research Center recently released a report titled "Race and the Recession: How Inequity Rigged the Economy and how to Change the Rules." This report details the stories of people of color who are disproportionately affected by the recession. It uncovers root causes of long-term racial inequities that fed into the economic crisis. It proposes structural solutions to change a system that threatens future generations.

You can look at a synopsis of the report and watch a video of personal stories here.

The report finds that: "People of color have been relegated to precarious, low-wage work - or no work - at disproportionate rates. Black, Latino, Asian and American Indian communities face barriers in employment, including discrimination in hiring and promotions, unfair criminal background checks and the lack of protections for immigrant workers. As a result, communities of color on the whole, relative to whites, face higher rates of poverty, are less likely to have healthcare and consistently face recessionary levels of unemployment and underemployment."

Be sure to check out the Action Steps listed on the ARC's website and make sure your voice is heard!

Take Action for the Employee Free Choice Act!

About the Employee Free Choice Act
The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) will make it easier for men & women to join unions in their workplaces. How?

• EFCA will protect workers' rights by strengthening penalties against employers who fire or retaliate against workers during an organizing campaign or an effort to obtain a first contract.
• EFCA will also allow the employer or the employees to request mediation if they are not able to negotiate a first contract, helping them to settle on a contract in a reasonable amount of time.
• EFCA will allow workers to form a union if the majority of employees (50% plus one) sign union authorization cards. (Currently 100% of workers must sign on for the union to be recognized.)
  

Where is the bill now?
On March 10th, EFCA was introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. George Miller (D-California). The bill has widespread support in both houses of Congress and in the White House, but still needs our support to get passed.



What can YOU do?
First, educate yourself about the issue. Visit the American Rights at Work and the AFL-CIO websites to find more information about EFCA.

Then, contact Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, urging them to support EFCA. Find contact information for Chambliss here and for Isakson here. Or, if you'd rather send a pre-written email, ARAW provides one here. Unsure of what to say? Check out the AFL-CIO's key facts about EFCA.

Spread the word! Make sure your friends know you support this bill and encourage them to contact their senators, too. Click on the envelope (with an arrow on it) at the bottom of this post to send this blog post to your friends.



PS: Did you contact your senators? Did they reply? Please let 9to5 know what they're saying, either by posting a comment below or by emailing us at activist@9to5.org. Thanks!