For Immediate Release

April 4, 2023

Joint statement by NC AFL-CIO and NC Lawmakers on Removing Barriers to Labor Organizing
(H.504 and S.543):

(Raleigh, NC) Today we celebrate the introduction of legislation to repeal North Carolina’s “right-to-work” law and the prohibition on public employee collective bargaining, G.S. 95-98–two relics from the segregation era that belong in the dustbin of history. 

Removing Barriers to Labor Organizing (H.504 and S.543) would restore the freedom of working people in North Carolina to form and sustain strong unions by getting rid of unnecessary rules so employees and employers–private and public alike–can negotiate workplace agreements that lead to good, safe jobs and build thriving communities.

There never was any freedom for workers to be had in preserving low-wage, unsafe jobs, but that has been the legacy of deceptive, anti-union “right-to-work” laws and the ban on union contracts for public workers. That is why lawmakers in Virginia voted in 2020 to restore the authority of its local governments to collectively bargain with their employees, and it is why Michigan recently became the first state in nearly 60 years to repeal its “right-to-work” law. 

All workers deserve the freedom to earn a living wage and live a good life, take care of the ones we love, and contribute to our shared prosperity. That is the future we are fighting for together.

MaryBe McMillan, President, NC State AFL-CIO

Sen. Lisa Grafstein

Sen. Natalie Murdock

Sen. Graig Meyer

Rep. Marcia Morey

Rep. John Autry

Rep. Deb Butler

Contact: Jeremy Sprinkle, jeremy@aflcionc.org 

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The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of unions of working people in North Carolina, representing over a hundred thousand members, working together for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working people. PO Box 10805, Raleigh, NC 27605.