CDW Letter to Members

CDW Members:

In an effort to show that the reported demise of card-check and government mandated binding arbitration have been much exaggerated, the White House has recently renewed its full support for Big Labor’s number one legislative priority, the Employee Free Choice Act.

Yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden addressed the AFL-CIO’s winter meeting in Florida and told the attendees, “In the fight for EFCA, we’ve got to sit down and figure out where we go from here...I think we’re going to get it done.” You can read more here.

Last week, the White House’s “Middle Class Task Force” released its annual report for 2009. The report highlights EFCA as a tool for helping the “middle class,” stating:

“The Administration has supported the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) as a way to rebalance the union organizing playing field. In our policy work and events, as well as in various statements by the Vice President, the Task Force has consistently stressed the importance of EFCA as well. This support stems from our diagnosis that one underappreciated reason for the negative trends portrayed in our economic analysis of middle-class families is the loss of worker bargaining power.

Over the course of this year, the Task Force will continue to promote the benefits of union membership and to amplify the President’s message of the importance of EFCA as a way to guarantee workers who want to organize a fair chance to do so.”

You can access the Task Force’s report here.

While posturing by the White House and others won’t be able to produce 60 votes in the Senate, this renewed push by the Obama Administration reminds us that we’re not out of the woods yet and EFCA remains the top priority for Big Labor and its allies in Washington.

As legislative fly-in season draws near, we are strongly encouraging CDW members to keep EFCA at the top of your legislative agendas. Our talking points remain as simple as they have been for the past 3 years: We fully oppose card-check and government mandated binding arbitration, and there is no compromise on these issues.

Thanks to all CDW members for your continued good work on this issue.

Brian Worth

Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc

VP for Government and Public Affairs