Workers' Rights, the Green Economy and the Employee Free Choice Act

Investing in the clean energy economy will create millions of new jobs and increase the demand for many jobs and products in our existing construction, manufacturing and service industries. As part of this transformation, it is important that the jobs we create are both green jobs and good jobs that will support families, rebuild the middle class and restore prosperity for American working people.

The freedom of working people to form a union is an essential part of the green-jobs equation. The Employee Free Choice Act levels the playing field for workers by allowing them to choose to form a union without interference or intimidation by their employers, and holds employers accountable by imposing strict penalties for those that break the law and violate the right to organize. The Employee Free Choice Act will put the decision to form a union back in the hands of workers and ensure that the green economy is an economy that works for everyone.

Passing the Employee Free Choice Act
The Employee Free Choice Act would restore the balance of power between workers and their employers that existed for many decades in this country. It would allow workers to choose to form a union when a majority of employees requests to do so, restore fairness and balance to the system and increase penalties for companies that violate workers' rights. To find out more, visit American Rights at Work.

Union Members Earn More, More Likely to Have Benefits
Economic data shows that union workers earn more than their non-union counterparts. According to information from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, and as prepared by the AFL-CIO, union workers earn a median salary that is $195 more per week than non-union workers. Union workers are also more likely than their nonunion counterparts to be covered by health insurance and receive pension benefits.

Workers' Rights and the Environment
Unions historically have been strong and effective advocates for policies that support the industries in which their members work. A highly-unionized green economy will provide high-road jobs and a skilled, organized workforce that will play a dynamic role in supporting the continued transformation of our economy as we push for global warming solutions in the decades ahead.

Protecting the rights of workers is also closely linked to our environment and our communities. Serving as the first line of defense against hazardous pollution, chemical spills and other accidents, union workers are better trained on health and safety measures and have greater protections for workers who blow the whistle on hazards and accidents in the workplace.

Rebuilding the Middle Class
The Employee Free Choice Act will also help us to rebuild the American middle class. The Economic Policy Institute recently showed that a $100 billion in green investment annually would yield $160 billion in additional output for each of the next two years, creating approximately 1.1 million new jobs and resulting in an increase of approximately 100,000 in the number of unionized jobs in the United States. EPI points out that this would lead to rising median incomes, a reduction in inequality and more access to job-training and mentorship programs. Read the EPI Issue Brief.

Good Jobs, Green Jobs
Passing the Employee Free Choice Act will help grow the green economy and strengthen our middle class. Global warming solutions will spark significant changes in the American economy and create millions of new jobs and industries. Passing the Employee Free Choice Act represents one significant step towards ensuring that green jobs are also good jobs.