UNI calls on US companies to support Employee Free Choice Act
UNI Global Union today called on American companies to give up their backroom schemes to fight against workers’ rights and the passage of a bill that could help the US revive its suffering middle class.
According to a report from the Huffington Post on Tuesday, right after receiving bailout money from the US government in October, Bank of America hosted a conference call with conservative activists and business leaders to coordinate a plan to block passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow workers to form unions and collectively bargain without fear of management retribution.
UNI calls on these companies to stop their anti-worker stance, which it claims is bad for business. America’s workers are losing their jobs, their homes and their savings. As a result, their spending habits have been reduced drastically, wreaking havoc on the US economy and economies around the world. UNI and the other global unions support the campaign by US labour unions to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings is at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he will search out US corporate leaders and explain to them why they must support the Employee Free Choice Act. Representatives of some of the companies that participated in the call are likely to be at the forum.
“This is not only the right thing to do from a human rights and fairness perspective, but also from a business perspective,” Jennings said. “I am urging all the business and government leaders here at Davos to support this legislation for America’s workers and to lobby their US colleagues to support it as well. I will personally meet with any leader to convince them that this is vital to ensuring a recovery of the world economy.”
Even though Bank of America hosted the call, the report noted that the bank said in a research note that the Employee Free Choice Act would increase the spending power of lower income consumers since it would likely raise their wages and benefits.
Not all the participants were disclosed, but the call was led by Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of the home improvement retailer Home Depot, and Rick Berman, a well-known anti-union lobbyist whose other clients include the alcohol, tobacco and fast food industries. Excerpts of the call, which were posted on the Huffington Post, include Marcus claiming the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act would be “the demise of civilization.”
“It’s hard to believe this is a 21st century business mentality,” said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings. “The world is facing a staggering economic crisis, and these people are worried that an increase in wages and social benefits for working Americans is the biggest problem they face? Their priorities are seriously out of whack.”
Home Depot announced on Monday it was cutting 7,000 jobs and shutting down its high-end decorating and design business Expo after the financial crisis cooled demand for its merchandise. Marcus retired from the company in 2002, but still remains its largest shareholder.
On the call, Marcus bragged that he could be yachting in the Mediterranean, but instead he was building support for the anti-worker campaign.
“It should be easy enough for Mr. Marcus to put two and two together here and realize that without secure good-paying jobs, demand for home improvement products in the US will tank,” Jennings said. “That is more likely to jeopardise his extravagant lifestyle than a decent wage and health benefits for union employees.”
According to the report, participants on the October 17 call were urged to give money to groups working against the bill. At least one other participant was from insurance company AIG, another recipient of US bailout funding.
"Bank of America is now not only getting bailout money. They are lending their name to participate in a misleading, cynical campaign to stop workers from having a majority sign up [provision]," Stephen Lerner, Director of the Private Equity Project at SEIU told the Huffington Post. "The biggest corporations who have created the problem are, at the very time, asking us to bail them out and then using that money to stop workers from improving their lives."
UNI is the global union for skills and services with 20 million members in 900 unions.
For more information or to set up an interview with Philip Jennings at the World Economic Forum, contact UNI at +41 79 888 0753 or rachel.cohen@uniglobalunion.org.