Don’t Let Lawmakers Make a Bum Deal Out of the New Deal

From the very beginning of our great union, our founders knew that a strong labor movement demanded dignity and respect for both active and retired workers. That sentiment is reflected in the founding principles of the Steelworkers Organizing Committee in the 1930s. Here are two that are particularly relevant for retirees today:

“To secure equitable statutory old-age pension. . .” and  “To secure by legislative enactment, laws . . . establishing our right to organize. . .”Org

Then, as now, these principles are not just ideas – they are foundational to our union’s work. Workers helped to establish Social Security into law over 80 years ago, and we fight to keep it strong today. We secured laws during the New Deal, like the National Labor Relations Act, that established our legal right to organize and bargain collectively. That right has helped us make gains in securing pensions and healthcare for retirees at the negotiating table.

Ever since then, corporate elites have been trying to reclaim their dominance. In 1947, the Taft-Hartley Act began the roll-backs of hard-earned gains for workers through so-called right to work laws and numerous other anti-union initiatives that sought to weaken us.

Those attacks never stopped. Today we see regular attempts to undermine the ability to form strong unions, both in the public and private sectors. One of the worst is the Employee Rights Act (ERA).

This reckless legislation is so called right to work on steroids. With versions in both the House and Senate that continue to garner co-sponsors and an Administration that is sure to sign a finalized bill, any further movement is a threat to unions – and the benefits, wages and policies we work for.

So what is in the ERA?

  • Imagine that you are trying to form a union and everyone who doesn’t vote counts as a “no” – no politician would ever be in office that way!
  • Imagine that non-members in your workplace could vote on your contract or whether or not to go on strike.
  • Imagine that you had to have a new election to keep your union EVERY time there was a change in 50 percent of your membership. Employers could manipulate that through layoffs and hires!
  • Imagine that you had to go member to member each and every year to get the portion of dues that pays for critical parts of our union’s work, like Rapid Response.

The Employee Rights Act does all of this and more. It’s a corporate giveaway designed to destroy our rights. It weakens our ability to newly organize, to efficiently run our locals, and to bargain fair contracts. By eroding our strength, solidarity, and resources, policies like the ERA will result in more losses of defined benefit and healthcare plans for those who came before us.

We will not allow sacrifices for workers’ rights in the past to be dismantled in vain. We are keeping a close eye on this bill. Please educate others on this destructive legislation and take a moment to call your elected officials in Washington. Tell them that it’s time to stand with workers and oppose the ERA.

 

 

 

Press Inquiries

Media Contacts

Communications Director:
Jess Kamm at 412-562-2446

USW@WORK (USW magazine)
Editor R.J. Hufnagel

For industry specific inquiries,
Call USW Communications at 412-562-2442

Mailing Address

United Steelworkers
Communications Department
60 Blvd. of the Allies
Pittsburgh, PA 15222