Blue Collar Caucus Co-Chairs Boyle and Veasey Speak Out Against Latest SCOTUS Attack on Unions
Press Release
Today, Congressmen Brendan F. Boyle (PA-13) and Marc Veasey (TX-33) issued the following joint statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down public sector unions' fair-share fees in Janus v. AFSCME. By law, unions represent all employees regardless of the employee's financial contribution to the union. Now, with this decision, public sector employees who enjoy the rights and benefits secured through collective bargaining may no longer be required to pay "fair-share" dues to their unions.
"Janus v. AFSCME is a wolf in sheep's clothing; a case brought by billionaires in the name of "fairness' to employees who benefit from collective bargaining but don't want to pay their fair share. Its purpose is and has always been to divide workers and undermine the ability of unions to advocate for them at a time when they need it most.
Today's attack on unions is a politically motivated reinterpretation of the First Amendment by our conservative Supreme Court; the result of the 2016 election and Mr. Trump tipping the scales of the Court against the working class. We formed the Blue Collar Caucus to fight for American workers and push back against anti-worker leadership in Washington. Today's decision adds to the importance of our mission and strengthens our resolve."
The Blue Collar Caucus was formed to hold President Trump and Congressional Republicans accountable for his promises to working people by fostering member discussion and legislative ideas focused on addressing wage stagnation, job insecurity, trade, offshoring, and dwindling career opportunities for those in the manufacturing and building trades. The caucus focuses on bringing together a diverse array of Democratic members of the House of Representatives to reconnect the party to blue collar workers, and generate solutions that will protect American workers from globalized competition, maintain the viability of domestic manufacturing, and help to cultivate innovative industries that can provide stable employment amid rapid technological advancement.
Current caucus members include: Marc Veasey (TX-33) (Co-Chair), Brendan Boyle (PA-13) (Co-Chair), Rick Nolan (MN-08), Dan Kildee (MI-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Tim Ryan (OH-13), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), John Garamendi (CA-03), Matt Cartwright (PA-17), Bill Pascrell (NJ-09), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Dan Lipinski (IL-03), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Brian Higgins (NY-26), John Yarmuth (KY-03), Eric Swalwell (CA-15), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Dina Titus (NV-01), Paul Tonko (NY-20), John Larson (CT-01), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Luis Gutierrez (IL-04), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), J. Luis Correa (CA-46), Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Anthony Brown (MD-04), Alma Adams (NC-12), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-3) Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14), Robert Brady (PA-01), Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20), Nydia Velazquez (NY-07), Grace Meng (NY-06), David Cicilline (RI-01), and Ro Khanna (CA-17).
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