FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jonna Huseman, jhuseman@twu.org
WASHINGTON, DC—John Samuelsen, International President of the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) issues this statement in response to today’s Supreme Court Ruling in favor of a company seeking to bypass federal labor law and sue a union in state court for the destruction of property caused by striking workers.
Working people have long dealt with the unjust consequences of a government and laws that favor the wealthy. Today’s Supreme Court ruling is yet another attack on the interests of working families perpetuated by those who sit in ivory towers.
Today’s ruling demonstrates just how ignorant the Court is not only to the realities of labor disputes, but to the chilling effect Justices’ words will have on the lives of frontline workers. This poorly reasoned ruling glosses over the past century of precedents and statute to place yet another burden on workers as they fight for fair wages and working conditions. The TWU is disgusted with the 8 Justices who signed their names to this corporate giveaway.
It is no coincidence that Justice Brown Jackson is both the only justice who dissented from this terrible opinion and the only justice appointed by this administration. President Biden has demonstrated his commitment to working people through his words, actions, and appointments. Today’s decision, which saw two appointees from another Democratic administration abandon working people in favor of the corporate class, emphasizes the difference between a pro-worker administration and others.
When the American people say they have lost faith in their governing institutions, it is decisions like this that they point to as the reason. Poorly thought-out overreaches by a partisan court with only one honest, dissenting voice lend credence to the accusations of corruption and ineptitude at the highest levels of our government. TWU members have suffered far too often from anti-worker decisions made by corporate shills wearing judges’ robes. This has never stopped us from fighting and winning on behalf of our members. We will continue this work despite today’s ruling, but we cannot let this moment pass without recognizing the heinous actions of this Supreme Court. We also offer our thanks and appreciation to Justice Brown Jackson for being working Americans’ only ally left in a decrepit, calcifying club of corporate sycophants.