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Some of the most powerful voices in labor are throwing their full support behind Net Neutrality– calling it crucial to the success and vitality of our democracy.

In a blog post at SavetheInternet.com, Jim Hoffa, the general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, called on Congress to pass legislation that would “ensure that discrimination and economic injustice does not return in a 21st Century form.”

The Teamsters’ Jim Hoffa When corporations control communications, workers lose

Hoffa referred specifically to recent instances where massive Internet providers had used their gatekeeping authority to stifle free speech over cell phones and the Internet.

“What would happen if … workers decided to fight for better working conditions?” he asks. “Would they be able to list their grievances on a Web site? Just this week, AT&T updated its terms for Internet service. The company will now suspend or cancel Internet service to anyone who speaks out against the company in any way. When corporations control communications and the ability to appeal to the public for justice, workers will ultimately lose.”

In 2005, when Canadian telecommunications workers struck against phone giant Telus, the phone company blocked access to voices-for-change.ca and 600 other sympathetic Web sites.

SEIU President Andy Stern A ‘pay-to-play’ Internet is dangerous for organizing

“It’s important to make sure that workers are free to unite online about issues in the workplace,” wrote Andy Stern, president of the 1.9-million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which is part of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition. “It’s also important to make sure that everyone in America has equal access to the Internet.”

“Restricting access or creating a ‘tiered network’ runs the risk of restricting the Internet only to those who can afford it,” said Stern. “A ‘pay-to-play’ Internet is dangerous not only for any group that wants to organize it’s members online, but to anyone who cares about free speech and democracy.”

For both Hoffa and Stern, the Internet is a critical tool for checking the powers of corporations and holding our elected leaders accountable. As phone companies continue to demonstrate their unwillingness to open communications to everyone, these union leaders — and the millions of working Americans they represent — look to Congress to step in and protect free speech.