Bill Text: NJ ACR126 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges President and Congress to enact legislation amending "Civil Rights Act of 1964" to protect worker's right to unionize.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Labor Committee [ACR126 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-ACR126-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 126
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED MARCH 11, 2024
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Urges President and Congress to enact legislation amending "Civil Rights Act of 1964" to protect worker's right to unionize.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution urging the President and Congress to enact legislation amending the "Civil Rights Act of 1964" to protect a worker's right to unionize.
Whereas, A worker's right to unionize is one of the key components of healthy labor relations in this country; and
Whereas, Unions play a pivotal role in securing employee labor protections and rights, such as safety and health, overtime, and family or medical leave, and in enforcing those rights on the job; and
Whereas, The federal 1935 "National Labor Relations Act" (NLRA) recognizes the "right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations" and provides certain rights to covered employees to join together to improve their wages and working conditions, with or without a union; and
Whereas, Under the NLRA, firing an employee for trying to organize a union is illegal; however, the penalties for violations are weak, typically providing only for limited amounts of back pay to the aggrieved employee after an extended hearing; and
Whereas, Employers, therefore, have little incentive to comply with the provisions of the law, and instead often choose to pay the small penalties assessed for violations as a cost of doing business; and
Whereas, Such blatant disregard for the law not only blocks a worker's access to the protections provided by unions, but also damages workers' perceptions that unions can safeguard their members; and
Whereas, Amending the "Civil Rights Act of 1964" to outlaw employer discrimination based on union organizing activities, such as firing or demoting an employee, can provide workers the protections intended under the NLRA; and
Whereas, The sanctions under the "Civil Rights Act of 1964" include injunctive, compensatory, and punitive damages in federal court, thereby providing a much stronger deterrent to employers than the NLRA; and
Whereas, Including labor protections under a civil rights rubric may also help make discrimination against union organizers culturally unacceptable, which would strengthen unions and their role in healthy labor relations; and
Whereas, The Legislature of the State of New Jersey fully supports a workers' right to unionize and encourages the President and Congress to enact legislation that includes this right under the "Civil Rights Act of 1964"; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The Legislature of the State of New Jersey respectfully urges the President of the United States and the United States Congress to enact legislation amending the "Civil Rights Act of 1964" to outlaw employer discrimination based on union organizing activities, thereby protecting a worker's right to unionize.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of the United States Congress elected from the State of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This resolution respectfully urges the President of the United States and the United States Congress to enact legislation amending the "Civil Rights Act of 1964" to outlaw employer discrimination based on union organizing activities, thereby protecting a worker's right to unionize.
