By John J. Sweeney

Read more from President Sweeney.

Veterans. Performers. Religious leaders. Economists. Mayors and council members. Farmers. Small business owners.

All of them are workers. And all of them are adding their voices to the growing chorus for the Employee Free Choice Act.

“People associate actors with fame and glory," says television star Amy Brenneman. "The truth is, for a long time my union contract was the reason I could support my family. That’s why I support the Employee Free Choice Act. Because each worker, regardless of their field, deserves the freedom to bargain for a contract, for a better life.”

Says Vietnam veteran Stephen Jackson from North Carolina: "The men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our country deserve a chance to be 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…. 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."

Forty noted economists recently signed a statement saying the Employee Free Choice Act is critical to rebuilding our economy and strengthening our democracy. "A rising tide lifts all boats only when labor and management bargain on relatively equal terms. In recent decades, most bargaining power has resided with management," they said. "The current recession will further weaken the ability of workers to bargain individually. More than ever, workers will need to act together."

In a letter urging Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) to support the Employee Free Choice Act, rabbis from his state said, "We believe that the Employee Free Choice Act presents an opportunity to give concrete meaning to the often frustrated dream of a just society…. The Employee Free Choice Act would, in sum, restore workplace democracy and fairness. It is a way of balancing the scales of justice, of giving workers rights that most of us would take for granted."

In West Fargo, N.D., Ruth Schepp is a small business owner who supports the Employee Free Choice Act—and supports the choice of her six employees to join the Machinists (IAM) union. "I want my employees to be a part of this company as it grows. I want them to feel that they have a good job, a secure job. Good jobs support families; they support our community. I want workers to be able to form a union and to have a choice in our economy. They deserve to have the fair chance to form a union without fear."

In every part of America from every walk of life, workers are calling, e-mailing and writing letters to their U.S. representatives and senators, demanding the freedom to form unions and bargain for health care, fair wages and decent working conditions.

It's time for our leaders to hear the chorus. And act.