I could have entitled this the Republican War on the Constitution, because that is the tactic Republicans in several states are using do deny workers their freedom of speech and their freedom of assembly. Republicans want to make certain that, when workers have grievances, there is no inconvenience to the companies, and that YOU don’t get to see it.
In moves that pro-labor legal scholars warn may violate the U.S. Constitution, Mississippi, Michigan and Tennessee Republicans have introduced bills that would strengthen the hands of bosses faced with protesting employees.
“The language is so broad, the potential is so destructive, that what they’re basically doing is outlawing strikes …” University of Texas labor law professor Julius Getman told Salon. “Or they’re doing their best to limit strikes or picketing to situations where you have two or three people standing still. The idea of the union manifesting concerted power of workers is something that they’re seeking to prohibit.”
“People have a right to free speech, but they don’t have a right to keep someone from going to work,” countered state Rep. Jeremy Durham, who introduced that state’s anti-picketing bill.
All three state bills would lower the bar for businesses to seek and secure judicial injunctions against labor picketing – a form of protest long used by workers seeking to dissuade customers or strikebreakers, attract reporters or supporters, and spotlight alleged abuses. In addition to changing injunction rules, the proposal in Mississippi’s House would ban picketing that “has or intends the effect of violence or intimidation, near or contiguous to the business’ customers”; Tennessee’s would ban picketing that is “preventing the pursuit of any lawful work or employment by means of disturbance or nuisance.”
At a private home (say, a CEO’s mansion), Mississippi’s and Tennessee’s bills would make disrupting “the resident’s right to quiet enjoyment” grounds for convicting picketers of a crime. The bill in Michigan’s House would remove current language making certain picketing a misdemeanor, but add language imposing a $1,000 a day fine for a person (including an individual protesting worker, not just an organization or a union official) repeatedly found to have picketed illegally. And the bill passed by Mississippi’s Senate would allow an individual picketer to be thrown in jail for six months… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Salon.com>
These are the very same Republicans, who insisted that it was their Constitutional right to physically accost women seeking abortion services and threaten bodily harm to abortion providers at their homes.
I remember how Republicans in Congress used to wave little paper Constitutions, while falsely claiming that they are supporting it. In reality, they would trash the Constitution for the 0.1%
Support Labor against these injustices!
11 Responses to “More Republican War on Labor”
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How sad that we're going to have to redo all that the unions once did ~ a sure sign that the GOP are afraid and they should be. Very afraid. People with nothing left to lose have nothing left to lose. Is the 1% going to arrest the entire other 99%?
I would not put it past the 1% to arrest all the other 99% They'd quickly discover that no one was left un-locked-up to shine their shoes and wipe their – ahem, but they would equally quickly develop a trusty system to ensure that only the most terrified of us ever got loose to serve them. The Constitution? I can believe they could convince themselves they would be supporting it because it only applies to them. As unhappy as I was to have to retire when I did instead of when I had planned, I am surely glad I am not in the labor market today.
They can't arrest the entire 99% of us because police men and the military are in the same boat we are.
The Constitution means nothing to them except a tool to use at their convenience.
I love how republicans try to blame America's search for cheaper labor, by outsourcing, on unions! I am not a big time union supporter, but this is enough to make me one!
If the GREEDY corporations treated their employees fairly, and paid them a decent salary along with a few benefits, there would be no need for unions.
I know this is a new concept for the republican party…pay people a decent wage and offer them some benefits…but I know it can work as I worked many years for a construction company that never worried about its employees wanting to unionize!
Why was this not a problem for this construction company? They cared about their employees and in return their employees cared about them! They paid a decent wage and had a dental plan and a retirement plan set up for their employees.
One really bad construction season the company did not make much money so they sent a memo out and said that the annual pay increase would be a bit lower than usual, and that they were not going to give their managers a raise until the housing market improved. They felt their managers made more money in the first place and they also didn't want to lose any of their experienced, valued employees.
How novel…management did not get a raise, but the workers did!!
Please do NOT try to blame this mess on unions!! Put the blame where it really lies…CORPORATE GREED and GREEDY POLITICIANS!!
Oh, and get the corporations to fire their million dollar plus lobbyists and their bottom line will look better immediately!!!
Welcome! 🙂
Constitution? What constitution? Labor unions? What labor unions? Are we in Russia? These actions do sound like Putin, don't they? Reagan started the union busting and the Republicans are making it a fine art. Prior to the United Mine Workers of America, my ancestors worked for about 50 cents a day. My great grandfather was killed in a mining accident and his son lost his leg in another one. No medical bills were paid, no pensions given. My great grandmother had two children and was pregnant with a third when her husband was killed. No widow's benefits no child support. This is what the Republicans want for us again. It still amazes me that poor and middle class people vote for them.
I was listening to the radio news today as they covered comments by the Rt disHonourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper who is in Vancouver after returning from negioating a trade agreement with South Korea. Harper sounded perfectly "Republicanus/Teabagger" as he noted the truckers strike. Truckers are in a dispute with the Vancouver Port Authority and Border Services because they are forced into long delays while being paid by the trip, not the by hour. That is a big money loser. Harper's words: "This is unacceptable."
Harper has shown on other occasions that he favours corporations and the upper crust of society.
The federal Minister of Labour & Industry is James Moore, unfortunately my Member of Parliament. He is considered a rising star in the federal Conservative Party and is on record for suggesting that labour is basically out of control, and he wants to make legislative changes.
Then there is the BC provincial Liberal government, pro business and not related at all to the federal Liberal Party, which previously cancelled negotiated contracts with healthcare workers and has been seeking 10 year contracts with teachers, fortunately without success. Considering Premier Christy Clark was the Minister of Education years ago, the government`s approach to labour relations with teachers and others is abysmal.
Both parties are pro business, pro upper crust and anti labour. Oh crap!!!
Amen to everything said.
Lynn, because you habe a parliamentary system, a 3rd party vote is a viable option there. I prefer the NDP.
The NDP (New Democratic Party) for those that don't know, is a socialist (or close) party derived from the CCF. Here from Wikipedia:
"The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) (French: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, then in 1955 rebranded in French as Parti social démocratique du Canada) was a social-democratic and democratic-socialist political party in Canada, founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, agrarian, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction. In 1944, it became the first social-democratic government in North America when it was elected to form the provincial government in Saskatchewan. In 1961, it disbanded and was replaced by the New Democratic Party. The full, but little used, name of the party was Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Farmer-Labour-Socialist)."
It was Tommy Douglas (grandfather to actor Keifer Sutherland) that lead the CCF and introduced universal medicare.
Like you TC, I prefer the NDP. I have also supported the federal Liberal party back when Pierre Trudeau and Paul Martin was the Prime Minister. Martin had been a finance minister who balanced budgets and then some creating budget surpluses, a surplus that Harper has destroyed.
And news today, Olivia Chow, Jack Layton`s widow (he was the leader of the federal NDP until his death in 2011) is running for the mayor of Toronto. May she be successful in dumping Rob Ford on his fat conservative, reactionary ass!
Actually, the House of Commons has members from 5 different parties — Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Green Party, and Bloc Québecois.
Unions are the only hope in keeping for profit business honest. 😥