WASHINGTON – Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Co-Chair David N. Cicilline (RI-01) issued the following statement today:

“The American labor movement helped build the strong middle class of our country. Unions are the reason working people have weekends off, safe working conditions, good wages, and employer-provided health insurance. Unions ended child labor and led the fight for family and medical leave. Today, union workers make, on average, 27% more than their non-union counterparts. If we want a strong and growing middle class, we need strong unions.”

“That’s why today’s Supreme Court decision is so devastating. This decision is the latest in a long line of corporate-funded attacks on working people. Wall Street, the big banks, and big business have spent decades trying to undermine unions by denying working people the freedom to organize and bargain collectively.  They’ve done everything they can to make it harder for working men and women to negotiate for decent pay and fair working conditions.”

“Today, using a stolen Supreme Court seat as the deciding vote, corporate special interests succeeded in overturning four decades of legal precedent that protect the rights of working people. This decision is an unprecedented attack on 17.3 million public employees in Rhode Island and across America. Teachers, law enforcement, firefighters, and public works employees are going to find it harder than ever to get ahead.”

“This is wrong. If you work hard, and play by the rules, you should be able to provide for your family, buy a home, save for retirement, and provide your kids with a better life than you’ve had.  In this country, we should always honor hard work with a decent wage. The American Dream was meant for all of us, not just the wealthy few. I’m going to continue fighting for a country that’s consistent with those values."