Thousands Demand Worker Rights At White House Demo

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
“Hey hey, ho ho, union-busting’s got to go!” chanted thousands of protestors as they marched past the White House last Thursday, bundled up against the brisk temperatures but smiling in solidarity beneath of bright winter sun. More than 3,000 turned out for the massive demonstration supporting worker’s rights as part of International Human Rights Day celebrations worldwide. “Rosa Parks sat down so we could stand up,” said fired Verizon worker Clyde Rucker, “Now we have to stand up so our fellow workers can sit down to work.” Added AFL-CIO Executive V-P Linda Chavez-Thompson, "America used to stand proud before the world as a land where the right of working people to have a union was respected.  But today, that right has been destroyed. The right-wing politicians cut back the law to just about nothing, and the corporations trample on workers' freedom like it's their personal doormat."  After the White House refused to accept the worker’s rights petition signed by nearly 100,000 supporters, demonstrators vowed to continue the struggle, chanting “We’ll be back!”