Representative Brendan Boyle Breaks Down Political Wins
This Tuesday, September 27, Representative Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02) spoke to the delegation about the key legislative victories working people have had in Congress.
“In the last year and half, we have had a lot that has happened we can be pretty damn proud of when it comes to working men and women in this country,” he said, including the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the bipartisan Infrastructure bill. “For the first time, we are seeing things move, and progress being achieved.”
“The backbone of the United States of America is working people. They are the ones that build the middle class,” he continued, when discussing his founding of the Blue Collar Caucus in Congress. “What [is Congress] going to do for those who want to work hard and play by the rules, and don’t have some sort of college or advanced education.”
He finished his remarks talking about the PRO Act, and the need for its passage in the Senate. “We need more workers in organized labor. Period. End of discussion,” he concluded. “We cannot let the anti-labor forces try to use other issues to distract and divide America’s working class from this key issue.”
Delegates Consider Policy Resolutions
During the 2022 BAC Special Convention, the delegates are reviewing a number of resolutions concerning public policy. On Tuesday, the Committee on General Good referred two such resolutions: one concerning the PRO Act (Resolution No. 31) and another on the effect of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (Resolution No. 32).
Resolution 31 seeks to “reverse the trend [of declining union membership] and enable a thriving labor movement to restore the American dream,” the Committee reported. The Committee “calls on BAC to urge Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, legislation that will reverse some of the erosions of labor protections that have undermined the right to organize and bargain collectively.”
Resolution 32 outlines the potential effect of the Dobbs decision. The Committee’s report cites a Boston University study concluding that that it could “reduce the female labor force participation by 25 to 30 percent and can have ‘a negative effect on the total family income, as well as on female earning capabilities.’” The resolution calls on BAC to “remain engaged to support the right of women, and all workers, to make their own decisions about their health and body.”
The delegation adopted the Committee's recommendations on the resolutions unanimously, with spontaneous applause after the adoption of Resolution 32.