Obama and trade unions‏

A positive Government attitude to trade unionism has long been acknowledged as a key determinant in union membership growth and collective bargaining coverage. The good relationship between the administration of President Barack Obama and the US trade unions therefore augurs well for attempts to reverse the decline of union membership and the erosion of workers rights in the USA.

The current edition of The Economist magazine has a feature on Obama and the unions titled ‘love of labour’ http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14745067

In last year’s US presidential election the trade unions were a significant mobilising force in the defeat of the anti union Republican Party candidate. Unions provided indispensable grassroots support for the Obama campaign as exemplified in the campaign resume of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) http://www.seiu500.org/SEIU_Members_Helped_Win_Big_Victories_for_Working_Families_across_the_Country.aspx

The Economist article refers to the current union push for enactment of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which will enable unions to organise by way of card checks to demonstrate majority support (rather than highly regulated compulsory ballots which union busting employers often frustrate). Also, the EFCA will impose tougher penalties on employers who violate workers’ rights.

Alongside health care reform, delivery of EFCA through the US senate will be seen by the US labour movement as a key test of the Obama presidency. The US unions are committing massive resources to ensure its success.
http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca/
http://www.changetowin.org/index.php?id=268