Schatz Statement on Supreme Court’s Janus v. AFSCME Decision

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling on Janus v. AFSCME.

“This is a huge blow to workers and their families across the country, and for anyone fighting to make sure that public employees are fairly treated and compensated. Union membership has always led to higher wages, better benefits, and a path to the middle class. With this ruling, state and local governments have a green light to try and weaken the bargaining power of public employee unions. Potentially, that means teachers, fire fighters, police officers, and other public employees will have smaller paychecks and fewer benefits. It is now up to our elected leaders to stand up for unions, which have served as a strong counterweight to economic inequality. Moving forward, I will work closely with Hawai‘i’s public employee unions to ensure that its members and the public understand that supporting unions is one of the best ways we can support the middle class.”

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