Chuck Schumer: “I rise to first speak briefly about the Employee Free Choice Act, which is a very important piece of legislation. In…”

“I rise to first speak briefly about the Employee Free Choice Act, which is a very important piece of legislation. In fact, I introduced the original bill 4 years ago, worked hard to persuade many of my colleagues in the labor movement that this should be a top priority. I am so glad it is. I wish to salute the Senator from Massachusetts, Mr. Kennedy, who has taken leadership on this issue. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the bill. Let me say this: Before the union movement in America, we had a few wealthy people and a lot of poor people and not much of a middle class. The great thing about the union movement is it created a middle class. Through struggles of laboring men and women from about 1870 to 1960, America became a country that was about 30 or 35 percent unionized. What that meant was that wages rose, benefits rose, health care rose, and America was a prosperous country. Without a middle class, America would not have prospered.”