Civil and Human Rights Coalition Stands with Working People to Uphold Collective Bargaining Rights

Washington, DC –Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in support of collective bargaining rights for teachers, nurses, and other working people:

“The elimination of collective bargaining rights for employees anywhere would be a giant step backward for working people everywhere. The reprehensible efforts by some politicians to eliminate collective bargaining rights would diminish the ability of workers to provide for their families and weaken their access to fair wages, affordable health care, quality education, a secure retirement, and other basic rights that have helped build a strong middle class.

This civil and human right to basic employment protections established in federal law and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been instrumental in expanding access to the American Dream. Through collective bargaining, many who have been deprived of the fullness of American life, including African Americans, women, Latinos, and the White working class have gained greater access to jobs, education, housing, health care, and financial security. Union advocacy for minimum occupational health and safety standards, a 40-hour work week, family and medical leave, and the minimum wage has raised living standards for union and non-union workers alike.

These politicians claim that their efforts to deny collective bargaining rights are intended to address state budget shortfalls. But such arguments are disingenuous. The answer to America’s economic and fiscal challenges is not in rolling back the right to collective bargaining that has made such progress possible. Though current attacks are focused on public employees, the road to a stronger, more prosperous and more equitable society requires that all people have access to collective bargaining rights in both the public and the private sector.

The labor and civil rights movements have always been closely allied because the right to collective bargaining provides the platform for all Americans to exercise and pursue their rights to vote, to seek equal access to justice, and to be free from discrimination.

That is why the civil and human rights community won’t stand idle while some politicians seek to turn back the clock on American progress. Using budget shortfalls as a pretext to deny these rights is an affront to our values that would weaken us all. The Leadership Conference and its membership of more than 200 national civil and human rights organizations are proud to stand with nurses, teachers, and EMTs as they fight to maintain the rights that many have fought so hard to secure.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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