SEIU releases new ads targeting Sens. Lincoln, Pryor, Webb, Specter and Vitter on Employee Free Choice Act

Washington--Just days after the Chamber of Commerce hosted an embarrassing anti-Employee Free Choice Act Lobby Day--an effort that succeeded in getting two Senators to reinforce their support for the legislation, and that featured a major labor law violator--SEIU today released a series of ads calling on targeted Senators to stand with working families," not "the CEO bullies of Wall Street."

"Senators have a clear choice to make: they can stand with the greedy corporations who got us into this economic mess, or they can stand with the working families who are desperate to drive the car out of the ditch," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger. "While big corporations are spending millions in taxpayer bailout money to maintain the status quo, workers who try to find a voice on the job by forming a union are being harassed, intimidated or fired. We need Congress to stand up to the CEO bullies of Wall Street, not stand with them."

A recent report from Cornell labor scholar Kate Bronfenbrenner found that employers have stepped up their attacks on workers who attempt to form unions. According to Bronfenbrenner, in NLRB election campaigns, it is standard practice for workers to be subjected by corporations to threats, interrogation, harassment, surveillance, and retaliation for union activity. From the 1999-2003 data:

63% interrogate workers in one-on-one meetings with their supervisors about support for the union

54% threaten workers in such meetings

57% threaten to close the worksite

47% threaten to cut wages and benefits

34% fire workers

Meanwhile, corporate lobbying groups like the Chamber of Commerce have pledged to spend unprecedented amounts to fight legislation that could end such practices--"whatever it takes," according to Chamber spokespeople. That amount would be on top of the tens of millions they spent in 2008 to fight the Employee Free Choice Act.

Representing a six-figure ad buy, separate ads will target Senators Lincoln (D-AR), Pryor (D-AR), Webb (D-VA), Specter (D-PA) and Vitter (R-LA). The ads can be viewed at:

Specter: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/standwithuspa

Lincoln and Pryor: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/standwithusar

Webb: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/standwithuswebb

The complete text of the ads is below:

"Stand with Us" (Specter version)

VO: Big banks and greedy corporations got our economy into this mess

Now they want to fire or harass employees who want to join a union

No American should lose their job for exercising their rights.

Pennsylvania's working families need the Employee Free Choice Act to stop the bullying and protect our rights at work.

Senator Specter, stand with the working families of Pennsylvania, not the CEO bullies of Wall St.

"

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