Statement by the American Federation of Teachers
on the Employee Free Choice Act of 2003

Washington, D.C. — The AFT applauds the introduction of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) of 2003, which will correct some of the weakest and most troubling provisions in existing U.S. labor law.

Under current law, workers face an overly burdensome process before collective bargaining can begin. The EFCA will create a streamlined card-check system requiring the employer to recognize a union as the exclusive bargaining agent if more than 50 percent of the unit has signed authorization cards. It will also provide for mediation and arbitration of the first collective bargaining agreement and increase penalties for violations of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). All of this will increase workers’ opportunities for representation and expedite labor-management negotiations.

The legislation also will strengthen key sections of the NLRA. A lack of teeth in the law has made many worker protections practically unenforceable and the situation puts workers at a great disadvantage.

Employers regularly drag their feet on contract negotiations, confident that filing unfair labor practice complaints with the National Labor Relations Board is a long and drawn-out process. Penalties for violations by employers are insignificant and fail as a deterrent to companies bent on breaking labor laws.

American workers deserve the full force of a vigorous National Labor Relations Act. The Employee Free Choice Act of 2003 will help bring these important changes into law. Our union stands firmly behind the legislation.

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The AFT represents more than 1.3 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals and other school support employees, higher education faculty, nurses and other healthcare workers, and state and local government employees.