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Restore the American Dream with Employee Free Choice

Giving workers a free choice to join a union and
a fair chance to live the American Dream

Your Voice. Your Vote.

Unions helped build the middle class, allowing workers from all walks of life the chance to achieve the American Dream. With fair wages, adequate health care coverage, and retirement pensions, union workers have proudly been able to turn jobs into careers where they can support a family, own a home, and save for college or retirement.

Today, however, middle-class jobs are dwindling, and the American Dream is slipping out of reach for many workers. Household income is down while the average CEO makes 411 times more than the average worker. There are 47 million uninsured Americans, and many working families are just one injury or illness away from financial disaster. Yet, greedy corporations like Wal-Mart continue to reap profits as they shift their share of health care costs to taxpayers.

Your union contract is your voice at work and your protection in a time of economic uncertainty. You have a say in securing fair wages that pay the bills. As a union member, you have the power to negotiate with your employer for health care coverage you can afford.

Sixty million American workers say they would join a union if they could. They know that union workers earn 30 percent more than non-union workers and are 62 percent more likely to have employer health coverage. The best chance for workers to get ahead is to join a union. The best chance for workers in a union to secure strong contracts is to have more union members in their industry. And that’s the key to strengthening the middle class and restoring the American Dream.

The Employee Free Choice Act is legislation designed to do just that—to protect the middle class by giving workers a free choice and fair chance to join a union. Employee Free Choice would ultimately raise wages, benefits, and working conditions for workers.

It would do it by empowering workers with the chance to join a union in a simple one-step process: if a majority of workers choose union representation, their company must honor that choice and negotiate a union contract. It also holds companies accountable for trying to suppress workers’ freedom to join a union.

CEOs negotiate their contracts—Employee Free Choice would ensure workers have the same right. With more members uniting for a voice on the job, we can build more power at the bargaining table to negotiate better contracts and restore the American Dream for millions of workers.


“My grandfather used to talk to me about why unions are important. I could see what kind of difference it makes in life. Now the middle class is dwindling away. It shouldn’t be that way. We need unions more than ever.” --Doug Payton, UFCW Local 1546, Joslin, Ill.	“The union not only protects me on the job, but works to keep the middle class going by fighting for better wages and other benefits. It’s only fair that everyone should have the same opportunity to join a union to live a better life.” -- Trinidad Lopez, UFCW Local 700, Logansport, Ind.	“The good jobs that are left in my city are the union jobs that bargain for good wages and health care benefits. These are the jobs where you can provide for your family and enjoy your life. Employee Free Choice gives all workers that opportunity.” – Kay Hall, UFCW Local 655, St. Louis, Mo.	“I know if more workers are union members, that will help me bargain for a better contract because there is strength in numbers. All workers deserve the chance to have better pay, good health care and other benefits.” – Curtis Martin, UFCW Local 455, Houston, Texas

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