www.workersworldtoday.com
February 2022
7
Workers’ Rights
NYC Council Hearing Focuses on Protecting Worker Rights
Stand in Solidarity with Federal Gov’t Unions!
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n Wednesday, February 23, the New York City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor held its first hearing of 2022, with a focus on how the City can take preventative measures including, but not limited not to enhancing worker protection requirements in City contracts, effective policy mechanisms to combat worker mistreatment, and stronger enforcement of workplace standards. The Committee, which is chaired by Councilmember Carmen de la Rosa, listened to several hours of testimony via Zoom by dozens of labor leaders, worker advocates, and workers themselves. “This Council has the opportunity to pass laws that will directly and immediately improve the lives of our city’s workers, and the CLC and our
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affiliates look forward to working with Chair de la Rosa and all of our elected representatives to advance those efforts," said NYC CLC President Vincent Alvarez, who testified about the overall status of New York City's workers, the im-
pact of the pandemic, and the responsibility of city government to assist workers' efforts to improve their conditions and fulfill the original intent of the National Labor Relations Act to encourage collective bargaining.p
hile President Joe Biden’s appointments to the NLRB and the DOL work to promote pro-labor policies, federal workers are still dealing with Trump’s anti-worker appointees. The Federal Labor Relations Authority and Merit Systems Protection Board, federal agencies tasked with protecting the rights of federal workers, continue to carry on the former president's assault on workers’ rights. One such attack involves the National Association of Immigration Judges, part of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE). The Trump appointees voted to take away the Immigration Judges’ bar-
gaining rights – a right they’ve had since the '70s and under six presidents. Despite opposition from the Department of Justice, Biden Administration, and an appellate court decision, the FLRA continues to deny the union members their rights. Action is needed NOW on President Biden’s nominees to the Federal agencies, which are stuck in the Senate. Take action by telling the Senate to confirm the President’s nominees. p
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