July 3, 2014
By New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech
Trenton, NJ – “The Harris v. Quinn court case is the most recent example of the far right-wing attempting to chip away at the collective strength of workers. This is a trend that will have a profound impact on income inequality and economic stability at an extremely precarious time for working families.”
“The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which represented the plaintiffs in this court case, is an organization dedicated to ending trade unionism. While these types of groups disguise their cause as being in support of free speech, the end result of their attacks will be workplaces in which employees have no voice and no power to bargain.”
“This Supreme Court decision is a direct attack on the freedom of thousands of home care workers who do backbreaking, thankless work, often for low wages. It is also an attack on the freedom of seniors and people with disabilities who want to get safe, quality care while living independently at home. For these reasons we must safeguard collective bargaining, which has proven to be the great equalizer in our society, promoting equitable and fair wages, more effective and devoted workers, and sustainable communities.”
