People’s bailout?
To the Editor: Where’s the “People’s Bailout?” Consumer spending drives 70 percent of our economy. The best way to get our economy back on track is to make sure the majority of working people have more money in their pockets to spend and stimulate the economy. Union workers have 30 percent higher wages than workers who don’t belong to a union, and are 59 percent more likely to have employer-provided health care. Employee Free Choice does not get rid of “secret ballot” elections. One of the biggest misconceptions about the Employee Free Choice Act is that the act would take away workers’ rights to a secret ballot. This is false. Currently, employers get to decide how workers vote – through secret ballot or by signing cards – but Employee Free Choice would put that decision in the hands of workers, where it belongs. Secret ballot would still be an option if workers choose to vote that way. Employee Free Choice will help – not hurt – business. History teaches us that in tough economic times, encouraging union membership puts the economy on the path to strong economic growth. Workers should be free to organize if they want to. Sixty million workers say they would join a union if they could. Clearly something must be wrong with our current system if they want to join a union, but can’t.
Lonnie White
North Fort Myers