Why Isn There a Worker Rights Bill in Congress?
While there is much talk within the labor movement about worker rights, the AFL-CIO has failed to get friendly Democrats in Congress to sponsor a bill that could ban the use of permanent replacements of strikers or provide stiff penalties for employers who fire workers for exercising their legal right to join a union. No such legislation was introduced even in the years 1992-1994, when the Democrats controlled both Congress and the White House. During the 1998 elections, the labor federation soft-pedaled the issue of worker rights, concentrating on Social Security, education and patients’ rights, in tandem with the Democratic Party campaign strategy. Asked why the AFL-CIO was not promoting worker rights legislation in Congress, a staff member responded that it would have little chance of passing in a Republican-controlled Congress. But agitating for worker rights won’t produce any tangible results if it is not focused on a specific bill that would rectify the injustices contained in th
