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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE WORKERS' RIGHTS AMENDMENT
WHEREAS, labor unions have existed in the United States since the formation of this country with one of the first recorded unions forming in Philadelphia in 1794; and
WHEREAS, the United States has had one of the most violent labor histories in the industrial world with hundreds of individuals sacrificing their life in support of workers' rights and labor unions; and
WHEREAS, tens of thousands have fought for the benefits workers enjoy today, from the Great Strike of 1877, the Atlanta's Washerwoman Strike in 1881, the Haymarket Riot in 1886, the 1892 Homestead Strike, the Pullman Strike in 1894, to the Great Postal Strike of 1970, and many more, the fight for labor unions continues; and
WHEREAS, the efforts of labor unions have led to an 8-hour work day, safer working conditions, health benefits, benefits for retired or injured workers, and was pivotal in ending the abusive practice of child labor; and
WHEREAS, there has been a concerted, successful effort by corporate interests and the government to silence working Americans through relentless attacks on collective bargaining and organized labor unions throughout the country; and
WHEREAS, fewer workers are in unions now than in 1983 when 20.1% of the workforce was a union member where only 10.8% of the workforce was a union member in 2020; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin was the first state in the United States to provide collective bargaining rights to public employees in 1959; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, then-Governor Scott Walker signed Act 10 into law, effectively eliminating public sector collective bargaining, leading to pay decreases and a sharp decline in union membership throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of the United States, in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31, et al., struck down a 41-year history of unions supporting all workers through the collection of dues...
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