NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS |
2 unions come out
against Supreme
Court nominee
By Mark Gruenberg
PAI Staff Writer
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Citing
his record in labor, civil rights,
womens’ rights, and related
cases, two big unions — Com-
munications Workers of Amer-
ica (CWA) and the National Ed-
ucation Association (NEA) —
and six AFL-CIO constituency
groups have opposed President
Donald Trump’s nomination of
federal appellate judge Neil Gor-
such to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Besides CWA and NEA, the
A. Philip Randolph Institute, the
Coalition of Black Trade Union-
ists, the Coalition of Labor
Union Women, the Asian-Pa-
cific American Labor Alliance,
Pride at Work, and Labor’s
Council for Latin American Ad-
vancement were among 107
groups that signed a joint anti-
Gorsuch letter to the Senate Ju-
diciary Committee.
The Leadership Conference
for Civil and Human Rights
crafted the letter, which cites
specific Gorsuch court decisions
and dissents against workers.
CWA President Chris Shelton
cited Gorsuch’s “record of
aligning with corporate inter-
ests,” and his criticisms of “re-
markable powers” of “worker
protection agencies... whose en-
forcement mechanisms are al-
ready too weak to be effective.”
Shelton said Gorsuch has ar-
gued that protecting corpora-
tions from litigation is more im-
portant than protecting investors
from being cheated. “He seems
predisposed to favor the ‘big
guy’ over the ‘little guy.’ That’s
not the kind of court America
needs,” he said.
NEA President Lily Es-
kelsen-Garcia said Gorsuch has
ruled against students with dis-
abilities who seek public educa-
tion, and “has consistently sided
with big business at the expense
of working Americans.”
The Leadership Conference
letter called Gorsuch “a judge
with an agenda.”
“If confirmed ... Judge Gor-
such would tip the balance” on
the High Court “in a direction
that would undermine many of
our core rights and legal protec-
tions. He lacks the impartiality
and independence the American
people expect and deserve from
the federal bench.”
The Senate panel’s hearings
on the nomination are scheduled
for March 20-23.
March 3, 2017 | PAGE 7