The Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in the House last night, with 230 co-sponsors. The EFCA, remember, is a crucial piece of workers-rights legislation.
The EFCA has three main parts. First, it requires certification of a union once a majority of employees in a workplace have signed up for the union. Currently, after a majority of employees have requested a union, employers can force an election. This may sound democratic enough, but in fact it allows employers to use their power over workers to campaign against the union, often harassing and firing union supporters in the process.
Second, the EFCA prevents employers from dragging out negotiations on a first union contract by creating provisions for mediation and arbitration. Third, it strengthens penalties on employers who fire union supporters during union drives - such firings are illegal, but the current penalties are too small to serve as effective deterrents.
The AFL-CIO blog has more, and PaulVA has a diary with contact information for House Democrats who have not signed on as co-sponsors.