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Mass. labor leaders urge passage of Protect Labor Act to insulate unions from federal rollback
Summary
Union leaders, public-sector advocates and lawmakers told the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development that the Protect Labor Act would create state-level protections for private-sector organizing if key federal protections are weakened or rendered unenforceable.
Union leaders, municipal and higher-education employees, and elected lawmakers urged the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development on July 15 to give a favorable report to House Bill 2086 and Senate Bill 13-27, the Protect Labor Act, which would create state-level protections for private-sector organizing if federal labor protections falter.
Advocates said the bill would “inoculate” Massachusetts workers against changes at the federal level that could strip organizing rights or leave the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) unable to enforce the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). "We see the Protect Labor Act as a key component of Massachusetts' proactive response," Christy Lynch, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, told the committee.
Supporters described two trigger conditions that would activate the law: repeal or judicial nullification of the NLRA or a determination by the NLRB that it lacks jurisdiction over a group of workers. "If the NLRB declines jurisdiction over a group of workers, then we in…
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