National Right to Work Committee Urges Congress to Pass the Freedom from Union Violence Act

2.8 million National Right to Work Committee members call on Congress to protect rank and file workers

On Friday, Congressman Scott Perry (R-PA-10) introduced the Freedom from Union Violence Act (H.R. 5171) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Greg Mourad, National Right to Work Committee Vice President

The following is a statement from Greg Mourad, Vice President of the two-million-member National Right to Work Committee, in support of the Freedom from Union Violence Act:

“Substantive action is necessary to address union violence against rank-and-file workers across America. The House should work to pass the Freedom from Union Violence Act (FUVA), a measure introduced by Congressman Perry.

“In United States v. Enmons (1973), the U.S. Supreme Court held that violence ‘used to gain legitimate union objectives’ cannot be prosecuted under the Hobbs Anti-Extortion Act, even though the Act’s framers sought to criminalize the obstruction of interstate commerce through violence, threat, or coercion. As a result, thousands of acts of union violence, much of which is directed against non-striking workers, go unpunished.

“When union operatives targeted the cast and crew of the popular reality cooking show, Top Chef, with harassment, violence, intimidation, and derogatory threats, the judge’s instructions to the jury, based on the Enmons precedent, let the perpetrators off the hook. They’re just a few of the thousands of union operatives who have escaped accountability because of the Enmons loophole.

“The National Institute for Labor Relations Research has recorded almost 10,000 media-reported incidents of union violence since 1975. Experts on labor and strike-related violence estimate that, when accounting for all the acts of harassment, vandalism, and violence that go unreported, the true figure is over 100,000.

“The Freedom from Union Violence Act would close the Enmons loophole and remove the unique immunity from federal prosecution union officials currently enjoy.

“On behalf of the National Right to Work Committee’s two million members nationwide, we urge each member of the Congress to support this legislation. Violence should not be a lawful collective bargaining tool, and no American should live in fear for opposing the demands of union bosses.”