Political Quotes

“I thank our Democratic whip for organizing this special order in recognition of June 24, when American workers will use the day to celebrate victories we have had in protecting the right to organize and bargain collectively to improve living standards and working conditions. This is an important day I think we need to remember but also recognize we still have a long way to go. The right to join a union is a basic civil right, and unions are an avenue to equity, fair treatment, and economic stability for working people. I know hearing my colleagues tonight, and the gentleman mentioned it earlier, around the world, the right to bargain collectively and independently is so important to industrialized democracies; in Poland, the success of the solidarity union. Around the world, in China and some of our, both competitors and countries we try to work with, the right to organize and bargain collectively is so important. Let me just give a small commercial. I have a bill, H.R. 2848, the Labor Relations First Contract Negotiations Act. The bill was introduced to allow rights of employees to organize and bargain collectively for living standards. This bill would require mediation and ultimately arbitration if an employer and newly elected representative had not reached a collective bargaining agreement within 60 days.”