As Jobs with Justice/American Rights at Work has written: "We have long been
witnessing growing inequality and a decline in job standards due to both the
steady weakening of U.S. labor laws, ever increasing corporate influence on
our democracy, and a weakened political will to modernize labor laws to
accommodate significant shifts in the workplace. This country is
fundamentally in need of better labor laws and a stronger NLRB but the
NLRB is still where workers turn to when they are fired unfairly, their free
speech is threatened, or their working conditions are unsafe.
Recently, a combination of Senate obstructionism and judicial overreach has
put the NLRB on ice, further stripping workers of basic protections for
their right to organize and bargain collectively."
For this reason North Texas Jobs with Justice's Workers' Rights Board (WRB)
took the recent call to action to demand a functional National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB) seriously. A letter drafted by national Jobs with
Justice was signed by many of our WRB members and sent to Congressmen
Harkin, Alexander, Cornyn, and Cruz.
The Honorable Tom Harkin
Chairman
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Lamar Alexander
Ranking Member
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Alexander:
As leaders representing faith, civil rights, social justice, human rights,
and academic communities in North Texas, we believe the strength of our democracy
is tied to our nation's ability to uphold and uplift workers' rights. We have
witnessed the decline of job standards and shared prosperity due to ever- increasing
corporate influence on our democracy, the steady weakening of U.S. labor laws,
and the lack of political
will to modernize these laws to accommodate significant shifts in the
nature of work.
This country is fundamentally in need of better labor laws and a
stronger National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In the absence of such reforms,
it is imperative that America's workers still have government protection in
their attempt to secure basic rights and respect from their employers. We are
therefore writing to urge swift confirmation of the fulI package of nominees
submitted by President Obama for the NLRB.
In January 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
ruled that the Obama administration's January 2012 recess appointments to the
NLRB were unconstitutional - a ruling at odds with other circuit court decisions, but one
that put the status of the current NLRB recess appointees, and the full
operations of the agency, in legal doubt.
The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) provided for bedrock rights
for workers to join
together to improve their standard of living and conditions at work.
This protected right to collective action and collective bargaining is as
critical to our economy and democracy today as it was in 1935 when the NLRA
became law. The NLRB is still where workers turn to when they are fired
unfairly, their free speech is threatened, or their working conditions are
unsafe. Recent Unfair Labor Practice strikes by Walmart workers and fast food
workers across the county show that workers continue to seek collective action
to better their jobs and lives.
In order for our labor laws to work effectively and for workers to
have the ability to seek redress for workplace injustice, it is essential that
the agency responsible for enforcing these laws be operational. Current and
future vacancies on the NLRB, together with the uncertainty created by the D.C.
Circuit's recent Noel Canning decision, make it imperative that the Senate move
quickly to consider the full slate of nominees.
America's workers deserve much more than the status quo to fully
protect their rights on the job. Yet they do not deserve to have their basic
workplace rights invalidated due to Congressional inaction. Please act on the
opportunity to approve the nominations and ensure the NLRB will be able to
operate, protecting the vital rights of employees to collectively improve their
job standards.
Signed,
Rosemarie Rieger, North Texas
Jobs with Justice
The Rev. Isabel Docampo
North
Texas Workers' Rights Board
Thomas Berry
Retired, United
Transportation Union, Dallas, TX
Stacey Cottongame, Leader, Our
Walmart, Ennis, TX
Rev. Irene Jackson,
Senior Pastor, Southwood United Methodist Church, Irving, TX
Kit Jones,
Fort Worth, TX
Evelyn Kelly, Forney, TX
Dr. Gene Lantz, President, Texas
Alliance for Retired Americans, Dallas, TX
Philip Lynch, Denton, TX
Tim McAninley TWU
, Hurst, TX
A. Patterson,
Texas State
Employees Union Dallas, TX
Danna Pyke, Dallas, TX
Dr. Joerg Rieger
, SMU, American
Association of University Professors Dallas, TX
Katie Simpson, Richardson, TX
John Stephenson II, Bedford,
TX
Rebecca Tankersley,
Student, Perkins
School of Theology Dallas, TX
Bradley Walker, Arlington, TX
Dr. Ronald Wilhelm, Dallas, TX
Affiliations are
listed for identification purposes only.
CC:
The Honorable John Cornyn, Senator from Texas
The Honorable Ted Cruz, Senator from Texas
Information about Workers' Rights Boards:
At a time when the rights of workers are increasingly under attack,
North Texas Jobs with Justice has formed a Workers' Rights Board. About a dozen
of these boards already exist in other cities across the U.S. Their goal is to
bring together community leaders from all sectors who understand that workers' rights
are an important pillar of the community.
Members of Workers' Rights Boards include state representatives,
religious leaders, organizers and activists, educators and academics, lawyers, journalists, and
many others. The work of a Workers' Rights Board includes hearings where
workers can present their struggles, addressing the violations of workers' rights
through writing letters to employers demanding fair treatment, delegation
visits to management or public officials, speaking out through the media when necessary,
and demonstrating solidarity with workers in various other ways. The Dallas Workers'
Rights Board works closely with North Texas Jobs with Justice in order to identify
worthy campaigns and issues. For more information see: http://wrbdallas.blogspot.com/
Jobs with Justice has a long history of bringing together a broad
range of community leaders, including faith communities and other organizations
who care about the common good. For further information about Workers' Rights
Board please check the following link: http://www.jwj.org/projects/wrb/history.html
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