United Fresh Issues A Call To Action Against “Card Check Bill”
March 11, 2009 Editor’s Note: United Fresh Produce Association responded to the reintroduction of the Employee Free Choice Act, more commonly known as the “card check bill,” to Congress with two courses of action. The organization sent out a press release encouraging the formation of grassroots networks in eight “swing” states that could have a major impact on the fate of the bill. In addition, United Fresh president and CEO Tom Stenzel crafted a letter in which he urged individuals and organizations to take action. Stenzel’s letter is below, followed by the press release.
Dear produce industry friends,
I want to share with you tonight an urgent call to arms. A new piece of legislation know as the “card check bill” was introduced in Congress today that is the greatest threat to workers’ rights and employers’ fairness that I have ever seen. This legislation would deny workers the right to a secret ballot election in determining which union, if any, to choose as their representative. The secret ballot is a principle of democracy that members of Congress enjoy along with thousands of officeholders at the local and state level. Even the bill’s proponents have written in the past to pro-union organizers in other countries about the importance of giving workers the right to a secret ballot to prevent intimidation. Now, when they think that simply “checking a card” instead of having a secret ballot would be a faster way to organize unions, they are ready to abandon this principle.
United Fresh Produce Association is one of thousands of organizations around the country that have come together to educate Americans about the dangers of the mislabeled “Employee Free Choice Act.” We are working with coalitions of businesses in every sector of our economy. But we have a huge job at hand. That’s why I write to you now.
There are just a handful of U.S. Senators who are likely to make the difference in whether this bill becomes law — and they are Senators in your state! That is why we are organizing a series of state grassroots networks to oppose the card check legislation. We will be working with produce industry members throughout your state to share information about the bill, provide background materials you can share with friends, and help you in every way we can to make sure your Senators know the right thing to do for citizens of your state.
In the coming days, you’ll hear from Kam Quarles, our vice president of legislative affairs, about how you can join this network. Kam will be working full time to assist you and others in each of the key states as we build these networks. In the meantime, please let Kam and me hear from you if you’d like to take a leadership role in your state. No matter where you work, or what kind of company you work for, or whether you yourself are in management or a union at your own company, this bill takes away your rights. This is not a pro-union or pro-management issue — it is pro democracy. Let’s work together to make sure Congress knows where real people stand — solidly behind all workers’ right to a secret ballot.
For more information about this legislation, please visit the United Fresh Card Check Resource Center. Thank you for your support.
Tom Stenzel
President and CEO
United Fresh Produce Association
United Fresh’s official press release appears below:
WASHINGTON, DC – The misnamed Employee Free Choice Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate today, after barely failing to pass in 2008. The United Fresh Produce Association strongly opposes the dangerous public policy contained in this bill which would strip workers of their right to a secret-ballot in union election.
“The fight to prevent card check from becoming the law of the land is an uphill battle,” said United Fresh President and CEO Tom Stenzel. “The House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported a similar bill last year, and the Senate barely blocked that legislation. Now, the tenor in the Senate seems even more foreboding of taking away workers’ rights, and President Obama has said that he will sign the bill into law if it passes. These are perilous times for democracy when it comes to choosing which, if any, union workers want to represent them.”
“While we’ll take the fight over card check to every Congressional district, the eventual determination of whether this bill passes likely rests in the hands of just a few key Senators in swing states,” Stenzel continued. “That’s why we’re announcing the formation of Card Check Grassroots Networks in eight key states where we believe we need to make a difference. The states include:
Arkansas
Colorado
Louisiana
Nebraska
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Virginia
These states were chosen in consultation with the leadership of the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), the broad-based business organization leading opposition to card check. United Fresh is a member of the Steering Committee of CDW, which is a national coalition including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and groups representing almost every industry sector with major employment. CDW has also implemented state coalitions to bring all business sectors together, and United will be integrating members of its produce industry grassroots teams into this larger network as well.
Each state grassroots network will bring together companies and individuals from the entire produce supply chain in each state, building not only upon the grower agricultural base that may be present, but calling on all processors, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, restaurants and allied suppliers in each state. The grassroots team within each state will be led by a member chairman or co-chairs with a goal of building the widest possible network of individuals to call and write letters to Congress, meet with their Senators in their home state, provide letters and editorials to local newspapers, call on their friends and neighbors to educate them on the danger of card check and generally lead the charge in this highly targeted effort.
“The card check state grassroots networks will be organized by our Vice President of Legislative Affairs Kam Quarles, working closely with Senior Vice President Robert Guenther,” Stenzel said. “We’ll also bring everything we have to bear from our outside legislative/lobbying team and our outside legal team. Kam will be working with our staff to provide each state network with background information, strategy papers, day-to-day intelligence on actions in Washington and other support targeted specifically to each state.”
In addition to United’s leadership within the CDW coalition, the association is active in the Agriculture for a Democratic Workplace (ADW) coalition launched by the California Farm Bureau, California Grape & Treefruit League and Western Growers Association.
“It’s gratifying to see both agriculture and the general business community rallying together on this issue,” Stenzel said. “But, the road is not easy. We simply must reach out at the local level in these eight priority states if we’re to have a chance to win this battle,” he said.
The United Fresh Card Check Resource Center is now available for all members to learn about the issues and make their views known about this legislation. For more information contact Kam Quarles at [email protected] or (202) 303-3427.