I read stories about the Employee Free Choice Act all the time. The opinions of both sides of this issue are passionate and diverse.

However, it confuses me that there is a perception that pro-union means anti-business; that's simply not the reality. While it's sometimes challenging to find common ground, the truth is that we must come together to get our economy working again.

In large part, this economy has gone awry because a wealthy few were permitted to play by a different set of rules than the rest of us for far too long. And the problem was clear long before the pain became this severe.

While wages have stayed flat over the past 25 years, American workers' productivity has soared, leading to record profits.

Where did all of those profits go? As it turns out, the wealth workers created was largely gambled away on short-sighted financial schemes and speculation. Working families, union and non-union alike, feel the consequences.

Making matters worse, tightening family budgets have severely restricted the average American's buying power. Small businesses are hurting because workers simply cannot afford to buy the very products that they're creating.

While President Barack Obama has moved quickly to stem the crisis, he has acknowledged we won't be able to rebuild the middle class if working people don't have the freedom to form and join unions.

Polling shows that a solid majority of Americans support legislation that would make it easier for workers to form unions and negotiate for better health care, wages and job security. Millions of Americans want to be able to form and join unions, but they shouldn't have to risk their livelihoods in the process.

The Employee Free Choice Act is common-sense federal legislation that will let workers decide how they want to form a union. We need real labor reform that creates incentives for workers and their employers to come together and negotiate meaningful contracts in a timely manner.

To be sure, some corporations would rather keep things the way they are. A coalition of powerful corporate interests has amassed millions of dollars to try to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act.

Corporate CEOs are playing politics, while unions and employers at hundreds of successful businesses are working together to form constructive relationships. Unions and businesses have worked together to train workers in new skills, preparing them for the kinds of jobs that will get this economy running again. Union workforces are more stable, with less turnover and fewer retraining costs.

We've let the wealthiest 1 percent run this country for almost a decade and now we find ourselves mired in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

Lasting wealth is not built on credit or through reckless speculation. It takes the dedicated efforts of working people and responsible business owners to achieve any real long-term sustainability.

It's time to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

Ed Gorham is the president of the Maine AFL-CIO.