Contact: Wayne Ranick at (412) 562-2444, wranick@usw.org
(Pittsburgh) -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today issued the following statement to herald the introduction of HR 3899 and S 1945 in the U.S. Congress, better known as the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014:
“Last year, the Supreme Court stripped away critical protections for millions of voters when it gutted a key section of the Voting Rights Act,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “The court’s decision will now make it harder for voters who have been historically disenfranchised to have their votes counted.
“The decision reversed decades of progress, so we must now take steps to ensure those eligible to vote receive the opportunity to do so.”
The USW said a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced crucial new legislation that would restore voting oversight in states with a history of racial discrimination. Additionally, new measures will be put in place to prevent discrimination by mandating that voters be informed of any changes to local election law.
“The USW is committed to continuing the work of leaders like A. Philip Randolph, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Congressman John Lewis and the hundreds of other foot soldiers who put their lives on the line marching from Selma to Montgomery to ensure that every American has access to the voting booth,” said USW International Vice President of Human Affairs Fred Redmond.
“This legislation is a step in the right direction,” Redmond said. “USW members and their families will enthusiastically add their voices to the choir of those urging Congress to pass this important legislation so that no voter will be disenfranchised.”
The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in public sector and service occupations.
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