House Protects Safety in Labor Disputes
HARRISBURG – State Rep. Duane Milne (R-Chester), co-sponsor of a bill to prohibit threats and harassment in labor disagreements, is urging the state Senate to approve it as the House did.
The measure,
House Bill 874, would correct a loophole in state law against harassment, stalking and violent threats. Current state law exempts those offenses when committed by parties to an organized labor dispute. Milne noted the proposed change shows favoritism to neither unions nor businesses; it simply insists the law is applied equally for the safety of all Pennsylvania residents and workers.
“This bill fixes a glaring and dangerous mistake,” Milne said. “Neither union members nor managers have a moral right to sidestep laws on our books against harassment or intimidation. Enacting this bill will end the legal right to do so.”
An August 2012 report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce underscored the unevenness of current state statutes against intimidation, which some labor organizations continue to oppose reforming. Our state law against stalking, for example, reads “This section shall not apply to conduct by a party to a labor dispute as defined in the act of June 2, 1937 (P.L.1198, No.308), known as the Labor Anti-Injunction Act, or to any constitutionally protected activity.”
Violent tactics by some in organized labor, whom Milne noted certainly do not represent the attitudes or actions of all union members, have come to prominent public attention in the Philadelphia area recently, including an attempted arson at a Malvern construction site. One defendant from Ironworkers Local 401 received a 27-month prison sentence for that and other offenses including extortion.
Ironworkers Local 401 boss Joseph Dougherty was himself recently convicted of racketeering and related charges, along with several other of the union’s members. Despite Dougherty’s eventual conviction, the federal jury found he was able to persist in his violent behavior -- which included the use of arson -- for years before going to jail.
House Bill 874, if passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Tom Wolf, would become effective 60 days after enactment. Versions of the bill passed both the House and the Senate in the previous legislative session but a reconciled version of those bills never received a final vote.
Milne noted that associations supporting the bill include not only business groups but also law enforcement. The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry have all come out in favor of House Bill 874.
Representative Duane Milne
167th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: David Foster
267-207-0207
dfoster@pahousegop.com
DuaneMilne.com