STATEMENT OF LIUNA GENERAL PRESIDENT TERRY O’SULLIVAN ON ORAL ARGUMENTS IN FRIEDRICHS
“This suit is a direct assault on the collective bargaining rights that have enabled generations of workers to organize for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.”
Washington, DC (January 12, 2015) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA (the Laborers’ International Union of North America) today made the following statement regarding the oral arguments in the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association case:
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Friedrichs case, which will affect not only workers in the public sector, but the entire labor movement. The anti-union, anti-worker billionaires backing this suit are trying to destroy unions and make it impossible for working people to come together, speak up for each other, and bargain collectively. An anti-union decision in the Friedrichs case would do far more than upend 40 years of legal precedent; it would put prosperity and the American dream further out of reach for millions of hard working men and women. Make no mistake: this suit is a direct assault on the collective bargaining rights that have enabled generations of workers to organize for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.
As the proud representative of tens of thousands of dedicated, hard-working public employees, LIUNA stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters throughout the public sector as they face the Friedrich case’s assault on their fundamental rights.
The very fact that an adverse decision in a single Supreme Court case could have such a devastating impact on millions of working men and women highlights the importance of the 2016 Presidential election. Supreme Court appointees are a President’s longest lasting legacy, making critical decisions in cases that affect millions of people for decades after a President has left office. With several spots on the Supreme Court expected to open up in the next few years, working men and women need someone in the White House who will appoint Justices ready to defend the right to organize. That is why LIUNA has endorsed Hillary Clinton for President, and why we will work hard to help her win in November.
