Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Oregon). Photo from Facebook
Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Oregon) has turned his back on unions, labor leaders said after the passage of H.R.511, the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act, in the House. The 249 to 177 vote fell largely along party lines. But 24 Democrats -- including Schrader -- joined 225 Republicans in supporting a bill that exempts tribes and their enterprises, mainly gaming facilities, from the National Labor Relations Act. “This isn’t the Kurt Schrader we thought we were getting in 2008," Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain told The Labor Press. Schrader won his first election that year. The national AFL-CIO said it supports tribal sovereignty but opposed the bill when it came up for a vote on November 17. The bill has yet to be considered in the Senate. "The AFL-CIO believes in both tribal sovereignty and worker solidarity. We don’t have to choose," President Richard Trumka said in a statement. "The Senate should reject this union-busting bill in its entirety." The Senate version of the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act is S.248. The bill cleared the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on June 10 with one Democrat voicing an objection Get the Story:
Oregon Democratic Congressman Kurt Schrader turning hostile to union rights (Oregon Labor Press 12/1) From the Indianz.Com Archive:
Tribal labor law rider killed by wide margin in House (June 27, 2005)
NCAI between 'rock and a hard place' on labor rider (September 13, 2004)
Tribal labor amendment fails in House vote (September 13, 2004)
Federal labor board expands jurisdiction over tribes (June 4, 2004)
Related Stories
Sault
Tribe pushes for passage of Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (11/24) John Yellowbird Steele: Restore tribal sovereignty over labor (11/23)
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe weighs high court appeal in NLRB case (11/20)
Lawmakers defy White House on Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (11/18)
White House slams Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act ahead of vote (11/17)
Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act heads toward passage in House (11/16)
House gears up for consideration of Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (10/27)
Key Democrat defends support for Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (10/20)
NCAI pushes for court rehearing in tribal labor sovereignty case (09/01)
Lawmakers advance Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act in House (07/23)
Dennis Whittlesey: Judges disagree on labor law at casinos (07/23)
Lawmakers show support for Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (07/22)
House committee markup for Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (07/20)
Law Article: Major impact with federal labor law at tribal casinos (07/08)
Law Article: Saginaw Chippewa Tribe loses decision in NLRB dispute (07/06)
Brian Pierson: Tribal labor sovereignty could land in Supreme Court (07/03)
Pierre Bergeron: Judges split on federal labor law at tribal casinos (07/03)
Court reluctantly backs NLRB in Saginaw Chippewa Tribe dispute (07/01)
Join the Conversation
