UMWA president promotes EFCA in front of DNC delegation

DENVER – Ads attacking Kentucky candidates for their stance on the Employee Free Choice Act have been airing in the Commonwealth for some time this election season. Democratic Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford is one particular target of the ads, which claim the act allows for labor leaders to pressure workers into joining union.

Organized labor, meanwhile, has blasted the ads and defended their own support of the act. The legislation itself removes an employer's option of calling for a secret ballot vote on unionization and permits union certification when a majority of employees have signed union membership cards.

As Kentucky has a significant number of unions and union workers, the issue has made some waves in the state.

Thus, it may have not been coincidence that a key national labor leader paid a visit to the Kentucky delegation on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention and delivered a fiery defense of the EFCA.

United Mine Workers of America president Cecil Roberts – a native of neighboring West Virginia – said EFCA gave workers more freedom to unionize – a right Roberts said has been lost in many parts of the country since the New Deal-era.

“In 25 percent – one in every four organizing efforts - somebody gets fired for saying ‘I’d like to be in a union,’” said Roberts. “That’s not the United States of America, that’s communist China. Were acting more and more like them.”

Roberts escalated his rhetoric by blasting the war in Iraq and President Bush.

“I submit to you that when George Bush said I want to bring freedom to the Iraqi people and took the military there in an unjust and uncalled for war, he should have taken that same military into the workplaces in this country and brought freedom to the American worker,” said Roberts.

His ten-minute address also found the long-time labor organizer touting the supposed assets of labor union membership to the delegation – assets Roberts claimed could be spread about should the legislation in question be passed.

“There is no one carrying a union card living in poverty in the United States of America,” said Roberts.

“You want more freedom in America, you want more democracy in America – let’s get the EFCA passed,” Roberts added.

Roberts suggested the future passage of that legislation could be aided if Lunsford were added to the Democratic delegation in Congress by upsetting incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville).

“We’ve got 52 votes in the U.S. Senate for the Employee Free Choice Act,” said Roberts towards the end of his remarks. “Most of those are Democrats – give us one more Democrat.”