On a conference call a few weeks ago, a reporter asked Steve Forbes whether the Employee Free Choice Act is “all dead” or just “mostly dead.” Even now, the most accurate answer to that question is that it is still alive to the extent that people are still willing to negotiate its terms.
Today, a group of 3,000 construction firms sent a letter to all 535 members of Congress to reiterate that there can be no compromise on EFCA, which would eliminate the guarantee of a secret-ballot vote during union elections and force arbitration of new unions’ contracts.
It is also our intention to make clear that there is no room for compromise on this piece of legislation. Our firms stand together in stating that there is nothing that can be done to make this legislation more palatable and that Congress should vote down this bill in all forms.
The economic hardships facing our nation have acutely impacted the construction industry. Our industry has seen historic highs in job losses over the last year, with over 126,000 jobs lost in our industry in March 2009, and over 1.3 million jobs lost since January 2007. Overall, construction workers account for one-fifth of the job loss in our country and the construction industry can not shoulder the additional burden this legislation would impose.
The full text is here.