Pennsylvania State Rep. William Keller has an op-ed in the Philadelphia Daily News about the necessity of passing the Employee Free Choice Act:

From the perspectives of the national labor movement and big-business owners, perhaps no decision is more hotly anticipated than the fate of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). The ultimate decision will dramatically affect, for better or for worse, the future of America’s struggling middle class.

A new report out today from SEIU details the economic argument for passing Employee Free Choice. Here’s a small piece of a very lengthy study on why we need Employee Free Choice now and how it will help our economy.

The Economic Policy Institute estimates that if 5 million service workers join unions:

• 5 million workers would get a 22 percent raise on average, or an additional $7,000 a year;
• $34 billion in total new wages would flow into the economy;
• 900,000 jobs would be lifted above the poverty wage for a family of four ($10.22/hr); and
• Between 1.8 million and 3 million dependent children would share in these benefits.
• The economic impact on individuals would be about four times as large as the recent federal minimum wage increase, and allow nearly six times more in new wages to flow into the economy.

This is just service workers. It’s certain the impact is even greater when you look at numbers for unionizing non-union employees.
Disclosure: I’m proud to work for the Service Employees International Union. This post was neither approved by nor with the knowledge of SEIU. It represents my views alone.