[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 23, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 23, 1998

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, only a short time ago at the turn of this 
century workers faced sweatshops, low wages, no benefits, and unsafe 
work places--conditions highlighted in books from the period like Upton 
Sinclair's, The Jungle. These books weren't simply fiction because they 
described the very real conditions that existed at the time. It's not a 
period to which I want to return.
  Unions played an enormous role in improving these deplorable 
conditions of the past. But today unions are fighting for their very 
existence. In our country, as unions have declined, the gap between 
rich and poor has widened. By attacking unions, the Republicans have 
been working overtime to return to a past where unions didn't exist but 
the conditions unions sought to improve did.
  Since coming to Congress I've seen labor unions come under attack 
from all sides: Efforts to repeal Davis-Bacon, pushing down the 
prevailing wage; decimating OSHA, putting workers' safety at risk; and 
stalling efforts to raise the minimum wage. That's the climate in 
Washington.
  In spite of these attacks, America's workers still seek to form and 
join unions. Why? Unions promote the rights of workers, they endorse 
affirmative action, and they work to close unjustified wage gaps for 
women and minorities. That's what unions do for American workers.
  Mr. Speaker, today's climate is not hospitable to working Americans 
who wish to organize. There have been documented examples of companies 
carrying on campaigns to keep their workers from organizing. They've 
used illegal threats, refusals to promote, illegal warnings, illegal 
work rules, illegal interrogations, and even illegal surveillance to 
force workers not to organize.
  We can't turn a blind eye to these disturbing practices that workers 
seeking to organize face everyday. Unfortunately, back-handed tactics 
and intimidation go a long way to discourage working men and women from 
organizing. And that's what opponents of unions bank on. These are some 
of the harshest attacks possible on working Americans and their rights. 
They're attacks on entities which provide working men and women with 
the opportunity to improve their lives, their living standards, 
communities, and companies.
  The fact is that not only do union workers earn an average of 33 
percent more than nonunion workers, but they also are much more likely 
to have stronger health and pension benefits. We need to let workers 
know that unions and their members will be there to strongly support 
the efforts of those who seek to organize. Labor unions help all 
working Americans--organized or not. That's why tomorrow's ``Day to 
Make Our Voices Heard'' events are so important.
  Working men and women built this country, and the labor movement's 
struggle is their struggle. That struggle never ends and must never be 
taken for granted. The long uphill climb from the turn of this century 
could be rolled back by an avalanche of Republican anti-worker ploys. 
Let's bring back freedom of assembly and freedom of speech to the 
workplace. Let's respect working Americans' free choice when they seek 
to organize.

                          ____________________