IFPTE Letter Requests Senators Reform Filibuster Rules, Pass John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, And Protect the Right to Vote
In the next few days, Congress and President Biden are turning their attention to reforming the Senate filibuster rules in order to pass two necessary legislation to protect American’s right to vote — the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
On Thursday, just after the House of Representatives approved combining the two voting rights bills into the "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act" (Senate Amendment to H.R. 5746) and sent it to the Senate, the AFL-CIO leaders sent a letter signed by Executive Council members, including IFPTE President Matthew Biggs, urging Senators to reform the filibuster rules that are preventing consideration and passage of legislation to protect voting rights.
IFPTE also sent a letter to Senators on Thursday to request they pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act and also requesting “support for reforming the Senate filibuster rules so that procedural hurdles cannot block the passage of necessary voting rights, and other critically important legislation for working families.”
The AFL-CIO letter called on Senators to remove the Senate filibuster rules that stand in the way of consideration and passage of voting rights legislation:
Next week, on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday, you will have the opportunity to honor his legacy and secure the right to vote, by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. In the strongest possible terms, we urge you to vote yes on these bills and to turn aside any procedural rules that make it impossible for the majority of United States Senators to protect our fundamental right to vote.
The AFL-CIO letter also notes that the filibuster rules were originally “conceived by segregationists determined to keep Black citizens from achieving equality, and they have been used over and over again to block debate on measures protecting workers’ rights on the job.”
IFPTE’s letter told Senators,
Protecting and maintaining the fundamental right to vote is critical our democracy. This is a core labor concern because the labor movement’s work and working Americans’ ability to advance their interests is premised on our nation being a functioning democracy. In the absence of the provisions in these bills, 19 states in the past year have passed laws making it more difficult for Americans to vote.
The Senate is expected to move forward on the Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Act over the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend and consider filibuster reform early next week.
TAKE ACTION — Tell you Senators to Sideline the Filibuster
Ask your Senators to reform the Senate filibuster rules and pass legislation that protects and restores voting rights throughout the country.