Federal Legislative Update
June 2007

June 8, 2007
June 15, 2007

6/15/07

News from Capitol Hill...

Urge the Senate to Protect Workers' Rights

The Senate will take up the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800) the week of June 18. This important legislation would restore workers' freedom to organize, including by establishing stronger penalties for harassment and other violations of employee rights when workers seek to form a union.

Anti-union forces continue to thwart workers' rights to organize by using strong-arm tactics such as threats and intimidation. Every year, over 20,000 workers are illegally fired or discriminated against for exercising their labor rights. In at least one quarter of all organizing efforts, an employer illegally fires a worker for supporting the union.

The House has already passed the Employee Free Choice Act. Now, the Senate must act.

Contact Your Member of Congress

Tell your Senators to protect workers' rights by passing the Employee Free Choice Act.

6/8/07

News from Capitol Hill...

Help Build Support for NEA Priorities for ESEA Reauthorization

Congress could start drafting legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind Act as early as this summer. NEA has developed a simple message for Members of Congress asking for changes in three priority areas:

• Use more than test scores to measure student learning and school performance
  
  
• Reduce class size to help students learn
  
  
• Increase the number of highly qualified teachers in our schools

Forty-eight NEA-supported bills have been introduced in Congress to address pieces of No Child Left Behind. See if your Members of Congress have cosponsored these important bills. And, tell Congress to make sure they listen to educators about how the law must be changed to fulfill every child's right to a great public school.

Contact Your Members of Congress

Share with your Senators and Representative NEA's message on ESEA reauthorization and urge them to cosponsor NEA-supported bills.

Women's Campaign Forum Foundation Seeking Your Views on Political Participation

Women have the opportunity and ability to alter dramatically the country's political landscape simply by transferring a few of their discretionary dollars to the support of political candidates. In the wake of the 2006 elections, the Women's Campaign Forum Foundation set out to understand women's political giving and to determine how women make political spending decisions. Tell the WCFF what YOU think by taking their short online poll. Both men and women are encouraged to respond to the poll.