At the Supreme Court case became a national right-wing cause célèbre, six conservative judges ruled that a Washington State school district violated a public school football coach’s right to freedom of speech and religion, who insisted on praying very publicly after games with students in midfield, refusing to be more private than the venue was offered.
Before the struggles of genuine workers in our country, this Do the working-class conservatives go to the ball? It seems that the drip mob finds their inner Norma Rae only if it helps them “own the libs.” These are not workers’ rights issues. They are the divisive culture battles happening in the employment sector. For the average, living wage worker who just wants a safe workplace, decent pay and some dignity, conservatives are AWOL.
The cases of prayer coaches and Kroger workers relate to First Amendment and religious rights. But most popular example silent expression occurs when an employee is fired for reporting a violation of labor laws or for supporting a union. How much Have Republicans spoken out in favor of the expression of unionizing Starbucks or Amazon workers?
Similarly, Republicans may prioritize benefits for their preferred workers (such as those who are unvaccinated), but all of workers need a functioning safety net, including a fully funded and functioning unemployment insurance system. Also needed are robust and widely available programs for paid family and medical leave, paid sick leave, and universal health care, measures that most Republicans protested many times. In this context, the rush to guarantee unemployment benefits to those who refuse a lifesaving vaccine is indeed questionable.
Workers need safe conditions, good wages, fair treatment and a collective voice at work. The labor invasion of the culture war has distanced itself from what matters most to our nation’s working people.
Under the midterm approach, Republican candidates can wear plaid and workwear boots, as they contest our nation’s workers’ votes. But even a pickup truck loaded with blue shirts and hard hats can’t disguise heartless truths. The workers’ silliness that championed Republicans should bring out the truth that shakes voters: these candidates don’t care about the real needs of the working people.
Terri Gerstein is a member of the Labor and Work Life Program at Harvard Law School and the Economic Policy Institute. She spent more than 17 years enforcing labor laws in the state of New York, working in the state attorney general’s office and as deputy labor commissioner.
