Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, a young state legislator in Maine, Iraq War veteran, and National Committeeman of the Maine Young Democrats, has authored an excellent piece on the Employee Free Choice Act in the Times Record.

The economic challenges Mainers and Americans face are diverse and serious. I wonder how we honor the men and women who fight to protect our way of life when we allow them to slip through the cracks in an economy where there are fewer and fewer opportunities. I wonder how crippled the economic futures of young men and women will be by the reckless and irresponsible decisions that created the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression. I wonder what steps our elected leaders will take to rebuild an economy that works for everyone.

While Wall Street only recently went into crisis mode a few months ago, working families have been feeling the pain of our imbalanced economy for years. American workers have generated soaring productivity over the last 25 years, but wages have gone flat. Too many working families have been forced to turn to second jobs, credit cards and toxic loans just to stay afloat.

Meanwhile, the corporate executives have squandered workers’ increasing profitability on their own jet-setter lifestyles.

Thankfully, we have a president who is committed to standing with us in confronting the greatest economic crisis of our lives. If there’s one thing that really strikes me about President Obama, it’s his understanding of what Americans are going through. He doesn’t need economists to tell him that working families have been stretched to the limit — in many cases, past the limit — just trying to make ends meet.

Workers must have the tools to level the playing field if we are ever going to build an economy that works for everyone. We need the Employee Free Choice Act.

This common-sense piece of legislation would give workers the freedom to join a union without intimidation and bargain collectively for better wages and benefits.

The entire article is worth a read: Employee Free Choice Act: A sustainable stimulus

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On Saturday, March 1 YDA showed its overwhelming support for Disney hotel workers and UNITE HERE Local 681 at an energetic picket march with over 260 members.

Throughout the Anaheim conference Young Democrats made their support known by wearing stickers in support (as seen on the left) and by having conversations with the workers.

There was an overwhelming consensus that the labor march was one of the most successful events/actions ever undertaken by the organization.

Saturday’s march allowed Young Democrats to show exactly why they are Democrats and what they believe in: fair wages, health care, and justice for working Americans in Anaheim and throughout the United States.

YDA President David Hardt, DNC Committeewoman Crystal Strait and DNC Committeeman Francisco Domenech hand-delivered a signed letter from the Young Democrats supporting the workers to hotel management after waiting them out as the hotel executives pretended to be unavailable.

The most inspiring aspect of the march was the reaction from the hotel workers themselves. They came up to a number of Young Democrats thanking them for their support, letting them know how important it is that the hotel executives realize that the workers do not stand alone and that people around the country are united in support.

Special recognition goes out to the YDA Labor Caucus and CYD Labor Caucus for making this event possible and a success beyond the wildest expectations.

YDA will be monitoring the labor dispute between the hotel workers and hotel management in the future, and I will cover the situation on this blog as developments occur.

Thank you to all the Young Democrats who came out and marched in support of the Disney hotel workers. Feel free to comment on this post about your experience at the march.

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Building off the momentum of YDA’s huge rally in support of the Disney Hotel workers fighting for fair wages, health care and dignity,please help us grow the YDA Labor Caucus.

1) please join our YDA Labor Caucus email list

http://groups.google.com/group/yda-labor-caucus

2) Invite all of your friends to join the YDA Labor Caucus facebook group! Arrive with five!

See rally pics and YDA Labor Caucus leader Mike Corbett interviewed prior to rally at our facebook group.

Thank you for standing up for workers and building a stronger YDA.

Isaac Robinson
Chair
YDA Labor Caucus

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