Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) commented today in reaction to the House Education and Labor Committee Passage of the Re-empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradeworkers (RESPECT) Act.  Dodd, along with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), introduced the RESPECT Act in May. The bill would amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to modify the definition of supervisor in order to ensure that no employee is unjustly denied his or her right to join a labor union.  

“Today I applaud my colleagues on the House Education and Labor Committee for taking a critical and commonsense step to help protect workers’ rights by passing the RESPECT Act.  Allowing employers to deny workers the right to unionize because they occasionally take on minor supervisory duties is unjust and frankly un-American.    It is our responsibility to ensure that these hard-working individuals are treated fairly by their employers.  That is why Senators Durbin, Kennedy and I introduced this bill, and that is why we will continue to fight for it in the Senate.  I would also like to thank Congressman Rob Andrews, the House sponsor of this bill, and Chairman George Miller, for their hard work on this critical issue.”

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