The middle class is at a tipping
point, and it won't last another generation if we don't boldly change course
now.
The surest path to the middle
class for American workers is with unions. The security and strength of a union
job means that workers can have good pay, health care, and a voice at work.
Today our country celebrates
Labor Day in honor of the working people who fought for our rights to regular
hours, fair pay, and a decent living. For decades, the labor movement propped
up the middle class in America by ensuring a level playing field for workers.
There are many reasons for the
growing inequality in our economy, but perhaps the most significant reason for
the disappearing middle class is that the rights of workers to join together
and collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions
have been severely undermined.
That is why this fall I will introduce a bill in Congress whose
sole purpose is to restore and encourage workers' rights to bargain for better
wages, benefits, and working conditions. It's called the Workplace
Democracy Act, and if it is made law, it will help rebuild the middle class.
Workers need unions because there
are people working for minimum wage, barely able to afford to put food on the
table — if even that. There are people whose jobs are dangerous, or even
life-threatening, who can't speak up for workplace safety for fear of being
fired. And there are countless people working without sick days or even health
insurance.
Unions change that equation. When
workers have unions, they are no longer afraid to speak up. They have a clear
path to getting health care, sick days, basic safety precautions, and better
pay. They don't have to live in fear of their employers, and they can work to
provide for their families.
That is unfortunately far from
the reality that exists today. Under the current law, it is incredibly easy for
corporations to prevent workers from joining unions. One in five workers who
try to form a union today will be fired for doing so. And half of all employers
threaten to close or relocate their businesses if workers elect to form a union.
But there's effectively no
deterrence for when companies do break the law. The penalties are far too weak,
and there is no incentive to stop corporations from dragging their feet when
workers want to negotiate contracts.
The Workplace Democracy Act changes
that equation. Our bill would:
1.
Ensure companies can’t prevent workers from getting a first
contract.
2.
Make it easier for workers to form unions through a majority
sign up process.
3.
Strengthen the enforcement when corporations break the law.
This is a commonsense idea that
will help our economy and rebuild the middle class. Can you say you support it?
Thank you for your support.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders
Paid for by Bernie 2016
PO Box 905 - Burlington VT 05402 United
States - (855) 4-BERNIE
