Richard Gephardt: “there they go again. The Republican leadership has once again launched a major attack on working families and the unions…”

“there they go again. The Republican leadership has once again launched a major attack on working families and the unions that simply try to represent their interests. Just last week, Republicans passed a campaign reform bill through committee which has as its centerpiece a worker gag rule which would silence the voice of American workers by shutting them out of the political process. Now, today Republicans have brought to the floor a bill which represents a frontal assault on the National Labor Relations Act and the rights it preserves for millions of working people across this country. Mr. Chairman, this Republican bill would make it more difficult for workers to organize and easier for employers to get away with violating labor laws. The most egregious part of this bill is the so-called antisalting provision which would seriously undermine the organized labor movement in the United States. Under the Republican bill, businesses could refuse to hire or fire people, just because the employer suspects them of trying to organize their workplace. This legislation would overturn a unanimous Supreme Court decision which held that union organizers are entitled to the same worker protections as any other employee. In addition, the Republican bill, through the attorneys' fees provisions, would have a significant chilling effect on future NLRB actions, making it less likely that American workers will have their right vigorously defended and preserved.”