Murray on Supreme Court Decision to Weaken Unions: “A Loss for Workers and Yet Another Win for Corporate Special Interests”

Murray: “I urge all Republicans in Congress who claim to care about the economic security of the middle class to work with us to strengthen the rights of workers”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today on the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31 to weaken public employee unions’ ability to negotiate with employers for fair pay, safer working conditions, better benefits, and more.

“Today’s decision is a loss for working people and yet another win for corporate special interests that have spent decades funding political campaigns and lawsuits designed to chip away at workers’ rights. For more than a century, unions have organized to lift up the voices of workers who were otherwise unheard, and fought for fair pay, safer working conditions, and better benefits. Unions helped create the 40 hour workweek, workplace health and safety rules, child labor protections, and strengthen the middle class—and unions are still empowering workers in cities and states nationwide. I and other Democrats will continue to stand up for workers and their right to be treated fairly on the job, and I urge all Republicans in Congress who claim to care about the economic security of the middle class to work with us to strengthen the rights of workers.”

Earlier this month, Senator Murray introduced the Workers’ Freedom to Negotiate Act to strengthen workers’ freedom to join unions and negotiate collectively to win better pay and conditions, stiffen penalties on corporations, protect workers’ right to strike, streamline procedures to secure worker freedoms, and protect the integrity of union elections.

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