June 27, 2018
Watson Coleman Statement on SCOTUS Decision Overturning Legal Precedent in Janus v. AFSCME
Today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman issued the following statement following the Supreme Court’s 5 to 4 decision to overturn years of legal precedent and upend laws in 22 states, including New Jersey, placing new limits on collective bargaining:
“The past two days have demonstrated the tremendous impact of the political games Mitch McConnell played to steal Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court seat. Today’s decision ignores decades of legal precedent to undermine the rights and fair pay of teachers, police officers, firefighters and more. This is a watershed moment in the stream of conservative efforts to rig the economy against working families, and I am deeply disturbed by the impact it will have on their ability to negotiate livable wages.
“Unions are essential to a strong middle class; as Republican attacks on them have intensified, we’ve seen wages stagnate and that middle class shrink. I continue to stand with unions and the millions of workers they represent as we fight together for fair pay, access to healthcare, paid leave and the many other basic needs of working families.”