Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka
On the Second Anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Decision in Citizens United

January 19, 2012

Two years ago, the Supreme Court seriously undermined our democracy when it ruled by the narrowest of margins to strike down restrictions on independent campaign spending by business corporations and their supporters.  

The Citizens United ruling further tilted the playing field in favor of the 1% and against the 99% whose voices are being drowned out by excessive corporate spending and influence.

Since the Citizens United ruling came down, and particularly since the rise of the Occupy Wall Street movement, we’ve seen growing momentum in support of public policy solutions aimed at curbing excessive corporate influence and restoring greater balance in our political process.  From initiatives to bring about greater transparency and disclosure of spending by corporate interests and their wealthy donors, to calls for a constitutional amendment abolishing corporate “personhood,” people from coast to coast have sounded the alarm about the need for reforms to rein in excessive corporate influence in our democracy.

The labor movement wholeheartedly supports restoring corporations to their proper role as commercial institutions.  Business corporations are not people – they are man-made creatures of law that exist to generate economic activity and create jobs and income in communities.  The notion that they should enjoy the same or greater rights and protections than natural persons is absurd, and it is destructive to our democracy.

To restore the corporation to its rightful place, we need to reform the system.  In doing so, the greatest care must be taken to ensure that the Bill of Rights’ protections for real people, including protections for democratic organizations and movements, are not inadvertently weakened.  The AFL-CIO will work to support efforts to rein in corporate power that simultaneously protect our nation’s Bill of Rights, and to ensure those efforts are focused on the most effective means to address corporate dominance of our political system.

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The University of Oregon will be offering its 3.5 day Arbitration:  Preparation and Presentation program in Corbett, Oregon (outside Portland), March 4-8, 2012.
The program is designed for union representatives responsible for preparing and presenting grievance arbitration cases.  Class sessions will emphasize the skills necessary to analyze cases, prepare a presentation, and conduct the hearing.  

This class will be limited to 20 participants.

All participants will take part in a videotaped, mock arbitration simulation that is presented before practicing arbitrators, who will critique the presentations.

Topics covered include:

    •Developing a Theory of the Case
    •Opening Statements
    •Principles of Contract Administration
    •Standards of Discipline
    •Preparation of Witnesses
    •Direct and Cross Examination
    •Objections
    •Evidence in Arbitration
    •Arbitration and the Law
    •Arbitration Research
    •Cutting Arbitration Costs

Core Faculty:
    Marcus Widenor, Assoc. Professor, Labor Education & Research Center, U of O
    David Alexander, Adjunct Professor, National Labor College
    Luella Nelson, Arbitrator, Member National Academy of Arbitrators
    Tim Williams, Arbitrator, Member National Academy of Arbitrators

For the full conference brochure with registration details: 
 
http://pages.uoregon.edu/lerc/pdfs/lercarb2012brochure.pdf 

Further questions, contact Marcus Widenor at LERC:  541.346.2785, mrwide@uoregon.edu

Montana union members show up in force in Glendive, Montana to support job creation facilitated by the Keystone XL pipeline project. Four hundred supporters turned out and at least two hundred of them were members of the Laborers International Union of North America. Pictured here are members of the Laborers Union #1686 with Business Manager Kim Rickard (holding the We Are One sign on the left).