Town of Ithaca Board Passes Employee Free Choice Act Resolution Unanimously

WHEREAS, the freedom to form or join a union is internationally recognized by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a fundamental human right, and

WHEREAS, in 1935, the United States established, by law, that workers must be free to form unions, and

WHEREAS, the free choice to join with others and bargain for better wages and benefits promotes economic opportunity and good living standards, and

WHEREAS, unions benefit communities by strengthening living standards, stabilizing tax bases, promoting equal treatment, enhancing civic participation, reducing worker dependence on social welfare agencies and therefore decreasing the burden on taxpayers, and

WHEREAS, workers across the United States who declare an interest in joining a union are often subject to employer intimidation, illegal firings, and protracted delays in obtaining a secret-ballot election for representation, and

WHEREAS, the Employee Free Choice Act has been introduced in the U.S. Congress in order to facilitate workers’ freedom to join a union and help strengthen the American middle class, and

WHEREAS, the internationally respected organization Human Rights Watch has identified the Employee Free Choice Act as a human rights imperative, and

WHEREAS, nothing in this legislation alters the rights of employers to provide information on unionization to their employees, and

WHEREAS, the Employee Free Choice Act will give employees the ability to choose to conduct a secret-ballot vote for union representation, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca supports and urges Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act which would authorize the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union as the bargaining representative when a majority of employees voluntarily sign authorizations designating that union to represent them; provide for first contract mediation and arbitration; and establish meaningful penalties for violations of a workers freedom to choose a union, and

RESOLVED, further, that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to all our federal elected representatives and any other interested parties.

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20

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MOVED: Councilwoman Leary

SECONDED: Supervisor Engman

VOTE: Supervisor Engman, aye; Councilwoman Leary, aye; Councilman Stein, aye; Councilman Goodman, aye; Councilman Levine, aye; Councilwoman Hunter, aye; Councilman DePaolo, aye. Motion Carried – Unanimous.