FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 27, 2018
CONTACT:
Liz Cattaneo, liz(at)jwj.org
WASHINGTON, DC– Jobs With Justice condemns today’s 5 to 4 ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 bankrolled by billionaires, corporations, and special interest groups. In siding with the plaintiff, the majority members of the Court have undermined the ability of working people to stick together in strong unions. In response to the decision, Jobs With Justice Executive Director Sarita Gupta issued the following statement:
“Today’s ruling continues to reaffirm that a handful of greedy CEOs can rig the rules of the economy and our democracy in their favor. Given the extreme concentration of wealth and power in this country, we should be making it easier and not harder for working people to join together to improve their jobs and their livelihoods.
“Despite the disappointing ruling, working people in unions are here to stay. Working people in unions will continue advancing progress in their communities, confronting corporate greed, and transforming workplaces. Already this year, tens of thousands of people came together in unions for the first time. Hundreds of thousands of educators and school service personnel in states like West Virginia and Oklahoma are demonstrating their power in numbers to win landmark funding for public schools and drive outrage over corporate handouts that drain their communities. And we’re standing shoulder to shoulder with nurses, teachers, firefighters and every other vital public employee who seek a better life through unions. No court, no elected official, and no corporate bully can stop us when enough of us unite for our freedoms to achieve a decent living, equitable workplaces, strong health care, safe communities, and a better future.”
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