The new administration is committed to giving the highest priority to policies and programs that promote sustainable, long term economic growth. The Employee Free Choice Act is a vital part of an effective economic recovery program and President-elect Obama has said he will sign it into law. I support quick passage of this law because the wages and salaries of American workers provide critical fuel for the engine of economic growth. Declining family income and stagnate real wages underlie today's economic crisis.

Unions provide workers the right to bargain for better wages and benefits. One of the most efficient means to restore the purchasing power of working families and stimulate economic recovery is to guarantee that right.

While CEO pay and corporate profits have risen dramatically, and worker productivity has grown consistently, wages have not kept pace. Today we have the greatest income inequality since the Great Depression. Working families are bearing the burden and our economic future is at risk.

Now, more than ever we need to make sure working Americans have the pay and benefits they need to deserve so we can get the economy back on the road to prosperity.

For more information about the Employee Free Choice Act, visit the websites of the AFL-CIO or Change to Win.