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U.S. Trade Deals Mean Justice for Some, Not Justice for All

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2017 was another banner year of justice for sale, reveals the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s annual review of investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) cases. What’s the report say? It reveals lots of new ways global investors are undermining democracy in private tribunals.

What’s ISDS? It’s a private justice system. ISDS means any investor—usually a corporation, but sometimes an individual, who buys property in a foreign country, from a hectare of land to stocks and bonds—can use this private justice system to sue host countries over laws, regulations and court decisions that may affect the investor’s current or future profits.

ISDS means justice for some, rather than justice for all. Those with the means to become international wheeler-dealers can access ISDS. The rest of us have to rely on public courts—the same ones that investors say are “inadequate” to handle their needs. That’s not fair, and that’s not right.

In 2017, 65 new known cases were filed, for a total of 855 known ISDS cases. Some cases are...

That Which Is Justly Ours

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Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt 83 years ago yesterday, the National Labor Relations Act marked a critical step forward for working people’s right to join together in unions and bargain collectively. As Roosevelt said at the time, “By preventing practices which tend to destroy the independence of labor, it seeks, for every worker with its scope, that freedom of choice and action which is justly his.”

More than 80 years after our leaders proudly advanced the rights of working people, corporate interests are still ruthlessly fighting to deny us that which is justly ours. Just as the labor movement helped secure passage of the NLRA, today we are demanding an even better deal that fully guarantees our fundamental economic rights and freedoms.

To that end, Democrats in the House and Senate recently introduced the Workers’ Freedom to Negotiate Act, which would enact several key provisions expanding collective bargaining rights, such as:

Strengthening penalties against abusive and predatory corporations that violate workers’ rights.

Combating...

Members of Congress Reject Janus Ruling and Stand with Working People

After the Supreme Court ruled against working people in the Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, case last week, dozens of members of Congress condemned the ruling and expressed their support for the rights of working people. Here are excerpts from their statements.

Rep. John Garamendi (Calif.-03):

Public sector unions are legally required to bargain on behalf of everyone in their shop, regardless of whether they’re a union member or not. Today’s decision by the Supreme Court creates a massive free-rider issue by eliminating the ability of unions to charge fair share fees for the non-union employees who benefit from the work union representatives do.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.-12):

The Supreme Court’s radical ruling tramples over the freedom and basic rights of more than 17 million public workers.

Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.-13):

The Supreme Court’s disgraceful decision today will further rig the system for billionaires and against teachers, firefighters, nurses and other vital public-sector workers.

Rep. Juan Vargas (Calif.-15):

...

Don't Mess with Working People in Texas: Worker Wins

Our latest roundup of worker wins begins with union growth in Texas and includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.

Texas Union Membership Rose at the Highest Rate in Nearly 35 Years: The hard work of organizers in Texas has paid off as the state had its biggest increase in union membership since 1983. Texas unions gained more than 80,000 members in 2017, while union density grew from 4% to 4.7%, the biggest increase since 1993.

Safety Increases for Chicago Hotel Workers as Panic Button Ordinance Goes into Effect: Hotel workers in Chicago celebrated the implementation of new safety measures they had pushed City Council to pass. The new rules, approved in October, require hotels to provide panic buttons for workers who clean, inventory, inspect or restock supplies alone in guest rooms or restrooms.

2,400 Faculty Members to Be Represented by United Academics of Oregon State University: After a three-year organizing effort, the nearly 2,400 faculty members at Oregon State University have signed union cards to be...