Trayvon Martin Rally Exposes ALEC's Attacks on Civil & Worker Rights

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)“I’m wearing my hoodie today for Trayvon and for all working people” said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler (at right) Thursday at a midday rally outside the downtown DC offices of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). “We’re here to call out ALEC for the destruction they’re causing across the country. We’re talking voting rights, we’re talking about worker’s rights to collective action, safety in the workplace.” Shuler and other speakers from the civil rights and religious communities connected ALEC’s sponsors – from the infamous Koch brothers to a Who’s Who of corporate America – to laws pushing corporate agendas in a literal “pay-to-play” legislative payoff system. Most-cited was the deadly "Kill at Will" legislation written by the National Rifle Association (NRA) that’s led to a 300% jump in Florida’s "justifiable homicide" rate. ”People all across the country are finally seeing what ALEC is all about,” said Shuler. The Center for Media and Democracy’s ALEC Exposed project details how “Global corporations are scheming to rewrite your rights and boost their revenue.” - report/photo by Chris Garlock