Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Hoffa praises NLRB for restoring basic democratic rights for workers

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa (our boss) had some things to say about the NLRB's proposed rule today.
The federal government has let big corporations abuse the legal system for too many years. Irresponsible corporations often delay organizing votes and retaliate against employees who want to form a union.
In our experience, more than a third of employers fire workers who want to unionize. That’s why America has lost 10 percent of its middle-class jobs since 2000. This rule gives workers a reasonable chance to join together to restore fairness and balance.

If corporations can join together to hire lobbyists without being challenged by abusive lawsuits, then workers should also have that right.
Read the whole thing here.

Faith leaders also weighed in. Here's Kim Bobo, executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice:
Without this step forward, anti-union employers have too much power to intimidate workers and stop them from expressing their voice on the job.
And Rev. Nelson Rivers III, pastor of Charity Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, South Carolina:
Even in the 21st century, too many American workers face barriers to justice and dignity in the workplace. Overcoming these obstacles requires not only hard work and prayer, but also rules that allow workers to exercise their right to organize. The NLRB’s new ruling on union elections serves this noble purpose, and I commend it.
We'll be following this closely.