AFT’s Weingarten on Reintroduction of Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act

WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement in support of the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act reintroduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate, which will guarantee collective bargaining rights for public sector employees across the country:

“Public sector workers keep our communities strong. They are the teachers and school support personnel who educate our students; the nurses, physicians and medical technologists who treat our patients; and the parole officers, social workers and engineers who dedicate their lives to ensuring our neighborhoods can prosper and thrive. They should have the freedom to negotiate a labor contract—yet in many instances that freedom is being abrogated due to politics.

“Many extremists, starting with Scott Walker in Wisconsin a decade ago, and more recently in Louisiana and Florida, have targeted public workers, trying to curtail their right to bargain for better services, wages and conditions. They envisage a future where public services are eviscerated and those who provide them are kicked to the curb.

“The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act protects the right of public employees to stand together and create real solutions to give all Americans a shot at a better life for themselves and their families. With this bill we can achieve together what would be impossible alone, and that’s why we are proud to support and advocate for it.”