Traffic flaggers, Las Vegas, NV

In Las Vegas' residential construction market -- one of the fastest-growing in the nation -- employees at All Pro Traffic Control Inc. make it possible for everyone on the bustling sites to work more safely. But while All Pro workers give it their all, working 12-hour shifts with their hours manipulated to prevent overtime, the company doesn't just fail to reward their work, it has fired, threatened and harassed employees for trying to join together with Local 702 of the Laborers' Union to improve their lives and help the company be more successful.

"I was working regularly and then all of the sudden I was only working 12-15 hours a week," said union supporter Cheryl Szydlowski, 47. "I only make $11.50 an hour and it can be dangerous work. I started at $11 an hour four years ago and things just haven't gotten any better. On Monday they told me 'You're finished. You're not working here anymore.'"

All Pro Traffic Control employees help make it possible for all workers at busy construction sites to work safely by providing traffic control. A majority of the company's mostly women employees signed up to join Local 702 on January 23. But instead of respecting their choice, All Pro declared war.

Another worker, in addition to Szydlowski, has been fired. "The workers here need help," Szydlowski said. "The union would help a lot. These women are barely scraping by as it is."

All Pro employees say they are proud of the work they do and are only asking for fairness on the job and a voice at work. "We work hard for All Pro and we want the company to succeed," said All Pro employee Anishya Sanders, a 34-year old single mother of five. "But this should be our choice. We are not being recognized and we are being disrespected by not getting any benefits, including something as simple as bathroom breaks and lunch breaks."

If All Pro gets away with it, we'll all suffer

All Pro is one of the largest of its kind in Las Vegas' residential construction market, which is one of the strongest housing markets in the nation. What All Pro does can lift standards -- or drive them down.

According to the employees, in addition to the firings, the company has:

• Interrogated employees about their efforts to unite with the union.
• Threatened to shut down and lay off everyone if workers continued joining together.
• Refused to meet or discuss improving conditions.
• Retaliated against an employee by transferring her to a remote location 50 miles away.

Local 702 Business Manager George Vaughn said, "All Pro doesn't just hurt its own workers. As one of the largest residential traffic control companies, it threatens to lower standards for all residential construction workers in Las Vegas, many of whom have struggled to improve life for themselves and their families, while working to build the city."

How Congress Can Help

Unfortunately for All Pro Workers, the law as it stands today doesn't help. While it is illegal to fire or interrogate workers for joining together in a union, employers are able to manipulate the system with delays and legalistic maneuvering, and face few consequences for crushing workers' efforts.

Currently, the NLRB -- the federal agency that is supposed to support workers who choose to organize a union -- will not simply confirm the employees' choice for a union based on the majority vote that has already occurred through a card check election. Instead, employers can insist on a second election and delays in order to weaken their employees' resolve through intimidation and retaliation.

The problems at All Pro are far from unique -- according to a Cornell University study, employers illegally fire workers for union activity in at least 25 percent of all organizing efforts. The Employee Free Choice Act, currently under consideration in the U.S. Congress, would:

• Ensure that workers have a democratic process to join a union.
• Impose tough penalties for employers that break the law by retaliating against employees for choosing to join a union.
• Allow workers to seek a court order to enforce their rights to form a union free of harassment, intimidation, and unjust termination.
• Encourage speedy resolution of disputes between employers and employees and provide for arbitration by a neutral third party.
  

Read the stories of other workers who are standing up to support the Employee Free Choice Act.