As a Vietnam veteran, I was lucky to find a job in my hometown of Jackson, North Carolina after the war. Unfortunately, many of my brothers who fought alongside me were not so lucky. I am aware of the dire situation facing veterans today. Based on a report from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 18 percent of veterans recently back from tours of duty are unemployed. And of those who are lucky enough to be employed since leaving the military, 25 percent earn less than $21,840 a year.

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This is an unacceptable situation. The men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our country deserve a chance to be a part of the American dream. They deserve a job that puts food on the table and a roof over the family’s heads. They deserve benefits so that they and their families can be healthy and thrive. They deserve the right to join any organization that will help improve their situation. They deserve to have the chance to be a part of the middle class and help rebuild our economy.

The problem is that in the United States there are not enough middle class jobs. You can see this in the recession, the ailing economy and the fact that only 14 percent of our citizens are in unions. This affects everyone in the country. The same workers who helped make companies successful are intimidated and sometimes fired for trying to organize the workers in their job. What a sad way to treat those workers, especially the veterans. The Employee Free Choice Act would put a stop to this and allow workers who want to form and join a union to do so.

When you’re in the service one of the most important things you learn is to rely on your buddies, to trust the person next to you, especially in combat. And that’s what our unions do. They provide a buddy in the trenches of bargaining, in the trenches of unfair treatment and in the trenches of being intimidated out of forming a union.

We as veterans have fought for our country, and we know that it goes against the grain to see that the laws of our country do not give working people a fair shake. It’s not right that men and women who fought for our country are denied basic rights on the job and are just scraping by. The Employee Free Choice Act would ensure more union and middle class jobs from which working men and women could choose. It is a disservice to our veterans that there are not enough middle class jobs for them when they return home.

The Employee Free Choice Act will give veterans a better chance when they get back home to get better jobs with better benefits, and a better shot at the middle class. I support the Employee Free Choice Act. It’s my way of honoring those who served our country.

Sincerely,

Stephen D. Jackson

Commander VFW Post 4312 Seaboard