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Season 5, Episode 110

Proposed amendment could remove special interest groups from politics

Move to Amend-1

 

Guest Name:


Lawrence Abbott

Guest Website:


Move to Amend 

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Lawrence Abbott, a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 70, delegate to the Alameda Labor Council and Labor Caucus Co-Chair for Move to Amend, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss that group’s effort to amend the U.S. Constitution to remove money and lobbying from politics and pave a way to improve labor laws.

Teamsters Local 70 members work in waste management, parcel delivery with UPS and manufacturing in Oakland, Calif. Abbott discussed how the deregulation of the trucking industry in California has impacted the union and its members. He discussed his history with the Alameda Labor Council as a political organizer and now delegate representing Teamsters Local 70 on the council. Through his work with the Alameda Labor Council, Abbott spoke about the importance of having labor-friendly politicians and policies to allow unions to organize and protect workers successfully.

In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission regarding campaign finance laws and free speech. The 5-4 decision prohibited the government from restricting contributions to political campaigns by corporations, nonprofit organizations, labor unions and other associations. Abbott talked about the fallout from the decision as several corporations are able to influence policy and politicians with financial contributions. Until the decision is overturned, labor unions will always face an uphill battle in organizing workers and improving labor law in America, he said.

Finally, Abbott discussed what Move to Amend is doing with the We The People Amendment. Move to Amend is a non-partisan coalition of organizations and individuals working together to amend the U.S. Constitution. Amending the U.S. Constitution is not simple, but Abbott laid out the long road to passing an amendment. While it’s not an easy process, he believes that if organized labor worked together, it would be possible to remove the money from politics and open the door for improving labor laws in America.

To hear more from Abbott, listen to the show above.


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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