World Series stars make pitch for Employee Free Choice Act

[Earth Bound Misfit]

http://www.uaw.org/efca/news/103009efca1.cfm

Baseball players make a pitch for Employee Free Choice Act

As the reigning World Champion Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees square off in the 2009 World Series, each team plays by the same set of rules.

Those rules are enforced even handedly by a crew of professional umpires who ensure the integrity of the game.

And that's what baseball stars including the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins, the Yankees' Mark Teixeira and 10 others want for America's workers -- the right to a level playing field when dealing with their employers.

The baseball stars know the only way American workers will ever win justice in the workplace is through passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. That's why they lent their names to an ad that appeared earlier this week in The Hill, Roll Call and Politco newspapers.

"All Americans should have the same opportunity we've had -- to be able to join a union without being fired and to negotiate with their employers without being penalized," their statement reads. "Today, our country is facing some tough times. Health care costs are skyrocketing. Families are losing homes. Savings and retirement income are disappearing overnight. Now more than ever, we need a strong union movement to protect our jobs, our pensions, and our future. The Employee Free Choice Act simply guarantees a level playing field for all workers. It makes sure everyone plays by the same rules. That's as important in the workplace as it is in baseball."

Other players lending their names to the effort are Shane Victorino; Heath Bell; Dave Bush; LaTroy Hawkins; Torii Hunter; John Lannan; Andrew Miller; J.J. Putz; Justin Verlander and Adam Wainwright, all members of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

View the ad here: http://www.uaw.org/efca/facts/pdf/Hill.pdf

[Omaha Steve]

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