Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. I think it is very important for people listening to know that this piece of legislation does not take away the right for a secret ballot. It adds an additional right and a protection of a card check. In addition to that, even though that is what the other side is focused on, it adds other protections that are necessary to protect a worker's right to organize in this country.
This country is filled with wonderful employers, and certainly my district has about the best employers that you could find anywhere. But there are abuses and there are problems that this piece of legislation addresses.
I have a woman from my district, Anishya Sanders, who is here in Washington this week to tell her story, and let me very briefly tell you about her.
She has worked as a traffic control flagger for 3 years, helping to make sure that everyone gets around construction sites safely. In Las Vegas, that is a big deal, because every road is a construction site. This is a woman who has fought for the right to unionize and we should pass this on her behalf.
Anishya, a single mother of five, has fought to form a union because she needs health insurance so she can take her children to a doctor when they are sick, because she wants to be paid enough to provide for her children's basic needs, and because she wants to be safe at work.
Anishya coordinated the effort that led to a majority of employees at her company choosing to form a union. Instead of respecting the employees' decision, the company fired two workers and has harassed and intimidated Anishya and others. Under the current system, these workers are treated like second-class citizens.
It is up to us to protect workers against the injustice that has been done to Anishya and her coworkers. I urge my colleagues to support the Employee Free Choice Act so that all Americans can freely decide whether they want to organize in order to negotiate for better working conditions.
