Denouncing Senator Rand Paul's National Right to Work Act as detrimental to labor, as it undermines workers' collective bargaining rights, weakens union power, and threatens worker protections.

WHERAS, Unions are the backbone of Philadelphia, ensuring higher productivity, lower employee turnover, a better-trained workforce, and safer working conditions for employees; and

WHEREAS, Unions play a critical role in advocating for and securing vital rights for workers, and the ability for workers to unionize is vital to their chances of winning good contracts; and

WHEREAS, The labor movement has been at the forefront of achieving major social and economic advances for all workers, including the establishment of fair working conditions, the end of child labor, the creation of the 40-hour work week, and the recognition of paid family leave; and

WHEREAS, The term “right to work” in the title of the Act is inherently misleading, as passage of the National Right to Work Act would be detrimental to these fundamental workers’ rights; and

WHEREAS, Implementation of the Act would threaten to disrupt the wellbeing of our City, as infringing on the power to organize and negotiate collectively leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation; and

WHEREAS, The National Right to Work Act aims to weaken unions by eliminating the ability to require union membership or payment as a condition of employment, which would drastically reduce the financial resources necessary for unions to effectively advocate for workers and fight for improvement in the workplace; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby denounces Senator Rand Paul’s National Right to Work Act as anti-labor.

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