Democrats serving in the U.S. Senate have been put on notice by Unite Here President D. Taylor that they will be punished if they vote for the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act.
Taylor told the Washington Examiner “It is the height of hypocrisy and completely dishonest for Democrats to deny workers their right to have a union.” He said he hopes other unions, such as the Teamsters and United Steel Workers will join him. “This is not just us… We are all working in concert.”
He said he didn’t know if there were enough senators opposed to the act to uphold filibuster. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill by the end of February.
The bill would exempt businesses owned by tribes, including casinos, from the National Labor Relations Act. That act did not specifically address reservations, and it was only in the last ten years that the National Labor Relations Board has claimed to have jurisdiction over businesses that operate on the reservation and employ non-Indians.
The majority of tribes support the bill, arguing that the NLRB is trampling on tribal sovereignty. The House passed the bill in January. Senator Jeff Flake attached it to an otherwise non-controversial Senate bill.
The bill presents an unusual challenge to Senate Democrats who typically unite in being pro-tribal and pro-union.
