Washington, DC — Larry I. Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) issues this statement following the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling against working people and in favor of corporate interests and billionaire CEOs in the case Janus v. AFSCME:
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is being characterized by many as an attack on public-sector unions. This narrative is wrong. Today’s decision is an assault on working families and is designed to make it harder for workers to propel themselves into the middle class.
“The rich and powerful who have bankrolled and controlled this case from the beginning — and who stand to benefit from today’s decision — are forgetting one thing: no amount of corporate sabotage is going to stop working people from joining unions.
“Unions remain the most effective, powerful tool working families have to make life better for themselves and their communities. Working people understand this. That’s why the labor movement welcomed 260,000 new members last year. It’s why thousands of teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, and South Carolina took to the streets to demand fair pay and better learning environments for their students. It’s why inflight crew members at JetBlue and Mechanics at Boeing voted for union representation in historic elections. And it’s why public approval for unions is soaring.
“As a broad coalition of transportation unions, TTD and our 32 affiliates are committed to ensuring frontline transportation workers – and all working people – have a voice on the job, safety in the workplace, and are paid fairly for the work they do. We stand united with working families across this country who refuse to be divided by today’s ruling, and call on elected leaders to stand up for the rights of working people to form and join unions.”