[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 66 (Thursday, May 21, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H3631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         OPPOSE PROPOSITION 226

  (Mr. BROWN of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BROWN of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
opposition to California's Proposition 226, aimed at curtailing labor 
union political influence, but which is written so broadly it would 
apply to a variety of organizations that are not labor unions. These 
could include employee associations of every kind, such as those 
representing nurses, social workers, law enforcement officers and 
physicians.
  This initiative is so broad that it will keep labor unions and their 
members from expressing their point of view, not only on political 
matters, but on issues such as education, health care and retirement 
security. It imposes costly bureaucratic regulations on unions, which 
would make it more difficult for union members to come together and 
make their voices heard on government decisions that affect working 
families.
  It is no coincidence that this initiative comes before California's 
voters after the AFL-CIO's aggressive education and mobilization 
efforts in 1996.
  As a labor union member and former union organizer, I oppose this 
attempt to undermine workers' rights.

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