This evening, another round of speakers made the case for the Employee Free Choice Act. The Mayor of Missoula, John Engen, spoke first. He expressed, once again, his unwavering support for workers’ rights, their unions, and working families of Missoula. As a mayor, he sees the extensive benefits enjoyed by all Missoulians when workers have unions, and he urged passage of this sensible legislation.
Two small business owners explained why they – as business owners and capitalists - support the Employee Free Choice Act. Nancy McCourt, the owner of Scooterville, a local scooter business, noted that more unionized workers would put more money into the local economy – which would be good for her business. She also commented that unions could help her provide more benefits for her employees. Nancy encouraged workers and small business owners to see themselves as allies, not adversaries, and work together to improve our local businesses, something that research indicates the Employee Free Choice Act would facilitate.
Lauren Varney, co-founder and co-director of Home Resource, told the audience about his employees’ decision to unionize. Lauren already paid them above-average wages and provided health insurance and other benefits, so some might wonder why they unionized. “They wanted to express their solidarity with all the other workers in the world,” explained Lauren. “They assured me it wasn’t about me.” In any case, their unionization has not hurt his business at all, and he wishes that all workers could form unions as easily as his did. If more workers could unionize, then they would have more money to spend, and that would benefit all businesses in Missoula.
Two professors from the University of Montana discussed the reasons that they, as academics, support the Employee Free Choice Act. Professor of Sociology Daisy Rooks talked about the disappearing American middle class, and the loss of the American Dream. Unions, she said, are key for workers who want to join the middle class, and who want some democracy in the place where they spend at least a third of their life. Maria Bustos, Professor of Spanish Literature, gave a real life example to back it up. Maria took the audience on a brief trip to her homeland, Argentina, where neoliberal policies of the 1990s crushed the strong labor movement that had, up until that point, supported a strong middle class. Just a decade later, in 2001, Argentina’s economy crashed, wiping out almost their entire middle class. Argentina shows us that we need unions: because without them, we lose our middle class.
A University of Montana student and member of Students for Economic and Social Justice, Patrick Coatarpeter, connected the academic theories with daily realities, highlighting the need for us to act to ensure the passage of this common-sense and badly-needed legislation.
Molly Moody, organizer for Montanans for Health Care, spoke eloquently about how workers gain access to health care when they are able to organize. She recalled the medical care that she was able to receive when she was a child thanks to her father’s union, and cited the striking current statistics about how many more unionized workers have health insurance than non-unionized workers.
The seven speakers made seven unique cases for the need for the Employee Free Choice Act – for all of us who work, for our students, for our local businesses, for our economy, for our middle class and the great American Dream. We hope that Congress hears their message.
