Child Labor and Employee Free Choice

By Trina Tocco, International Labor Rights Forum

As the new Congress settles in, there is sure to be one piece of legislation that will cause anxiety for many members new and old alike.  The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is an essential policy to pass this year given the significant challenges that workers in the U.S. and around the world when it comes to their rights to organize, form a union, and negotiate a fair contract in a reasonable amount of time.

I wanted to call your attention to a letter sent by the Child Labor Coalition on February 5, 2009 to all members of Congress in support of EFCA.  This letter was signed by the National Consumers League, International Labor Rights Forum, Americans for Democratic Action, Ramsay Merriam Fund, Population Project of the General Board Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, and the National Education Association.

The letter firmly states:

We believe that workers in the United States should have full rights to form unions that can represent their interests and negotiate on their behalf. Unionized companies tend to be workplaces in which child labor and other egregious labor abuses do not exist. It is time for Congress to address the needs of hard working Americans on Main Street and not just the interests of Wall Street.  

As you can see EFCA is an anti-poverty initiative which is often the root of child labor.  Without legislation like EFCA, we will continue to live in a world where the employers have such power over the lives of workers, where workers become simple pawns in a game of chess.

I applaud the Child Labor Coalition and the many other organizations for showing their support for EFCA and explaining how this isn’t just about unions but is about giving families and workers the ability to determine their own fate rather than it left up to the big bosses.