Howard Berman: “Thank you, Mr. Andrews. Mr. Speaker, I would like the proponents of this legislation to look at this fact situation…”

“Thank you, Mr. Andrews. Mr. Speaker, I would like the proponents of this legislation to look at this fact situation: Let's assume there was compelling evidence that an employer decided to move a production line from one part of the country to another part of the country because he wanted to find a workforce that was white and not African American or not Latino, or that was much more likely not to have women applying to work on that manufacturing line than where he was located. Would anyone here suggest there should be a bill that, notwithstanding Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, should let that employer, with a discriminatory motive and a racist intention, move his plant for that reason? This is not a bill about what an employer can or cannot do. This is a bill about motivation. The Civil Rights Act, 1964, the right of employees to organize, form unions, bargain collectively, and to prohibit employers from retaliating against that, 75 years ago. If you really want to have the job creators do whatever they want, as you like to say, get rid of the workers' right to choose, get rid of collective bargaining, remove the protections against discrimination, against unions, but don't pretend you're trying to do something for reasons that disguise the motivation for the reason.”