Alan Grayson Bill Would Make It Easier for Employees to Form a Union

Congressman Alan Grayson, a candidate in the Florida Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, introduced the Employee Free Choice Act of 2016 (HR 5000) Wednesday, making it easier for workers who want a union to form or join one, and making it harder for employers to stop them. Under the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), if a majority of workers in a workplace sign cards authorizing a union, they get a union.  HR 5000 also stiffens penalties against employers who break the law, and provides for mediation and binding arbitration when parties are unable to agree on a first contract.
 
“The most effective way to give American workers a raise: Organize. Organize. Organize. The Employee Free Choice Act represents the best way to do that; the right to organize,” said Rep. Grayson.
 
Under current law, workers can form a union through a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election or, only if the employer agrees, majority sign-up. The Employee Free Choice Act of 2016 still provides for an NLRB election process, triggered when 30 percent of the workers petition for one –- the same as current law. But a majority of workers also can opt for the less divisive majority sign-up process, and the employer would not be able to veto that choice.
 
In the 110th Congress, historic strides were made in the fight for workers’ rights and economic fairness. The Employee Free Choice Act, which would strengthen workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain, garnered 234 House cosponsors, from both sides of the aisle. It passed the House with 241 bipartisan votes. However, it failed to pass in the Senate.
                                                                                     
Grayson represents Florida’s 9th Congressional District, which includes Osceola County, as well as parts of Orange and Polk counties.