CCAR Statement on the Right to Collective Bargaining by Workers
The Central Conference of American Rabbis, representing nearly 2000 Reform Rabbis world-wide, looks with alarm and deep concern at the efforts in the Wisconsin State Legislature to eliminate the right of public workers to engage
in collective bargaining.
Judaism has long been an advocate for workers’ rights, beginning with the book of Deuteronomy (24:14), which tells us “Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy”. Since 1918, the CCAR has consistently affirmed the right of workers to unionize and engage in collective bargaining. Indeed, in a resolution of 1921, the CCAR stated, “Under the present organization of society, labor’s only safeguard against a retrogression to former inhuman standards is the union.” In 1985, the American Reform Rabbinate reaffirmed “the importance of a strong, effective, and responsible labor movement to the health of American society,” referring to trade unionism as “perforce one of the strongest supports and most secure foundations of our democracy.”
Echoing these words and speaking from the Biblical and Rabbinic mandates to safeguard the dignity and welfare of workers in both the private and public sectors, we oppose the current retrogressive efforts in Wisconsin and in other
states to undermine and weaken the American labor movement.
Difficult economic times do not justify diminishing society’s obligation to social and economic justice, they underscore it. While such times call for increased austerity and sacrifice, such sacrifice must be shared by both management and labor, by executives and employees, by government workers and elected officials alike. We rise to speak against balancing budgets on the backs of public workers who teach, serve and protect.
CCAR - 2011
URJ Resolution on Workers' Rights In The United States
Submitted by the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism to the 68th Union for Reform Judaism General Assembly. Passed – Houston, November 2005
The right to organize is not only an economic issue; it is also a human rights issue. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts that “[E]veryone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.” As employers are increasingly able to move their capital across international borders, ensuring that workers’ rights are protected both domestically and abroad is a critical part of the fight against human rights abuses and global poverty.
the Union for Reform Judaism resolves to:
1. Support the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively;
2. Call upon employers to:
a. Recognize the rights of those who work for them either directly or indirectly, under
contractual arrangements for services, to be treated with dignity, to be paid a living wage and to work in a healthy, safe and secure workplace;
b. Allow their employees to choose freely whether to unionize or not, without intimidation or coercion;
c. Abide by their employees’ decision when a majority indicates that it supports union representation; and
d. Refrain from abusing National Labor Relations Board elections and appeals by using them as means for delaying or avoiding representation for their employees;
3. Call upon the U.S. government to amend the National Labor Relations Act to:
a. Cover agricultural workers;
b. Provide for increased penalties for the commission of unfair labor practices;
c. Ensure timely conduct of elections following the filing of representation petitions by relegating issues to postelection proceedings whenever possible; and
d. Ensure that employers and labor organization representatives have equal access to potential members of a bargaining unit during representation election campaigns.
4. Call upon the U.S. government to enforce existing OSHA regulations and increase penalties for OSHA violations; and
5. Address specific labor issues on the state level by:
a. Opposing adoption by states of “right-to-work” laws;
b. Supporting enactment of state labor laws to provide organizing and collective bargaining rights for agriculture workers; and
c. Affirming support for the organizing and collective bargaining rights of state employees.
The right to organize is not only an economic issue; it is also a human rights issue. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts that “[E]veryone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.” As employers are increasingly able to move their capital across international borders, ensuring that workers’ rights are protected both domestically and abroad is a critical part of the fight against human rights abuses and global poverty.
the Union for Reform Judaism resolves to:
1. Support the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively;
2. Call upon employers to:
a. Recognize the rights of those who work for them either directly or indirectly, under
contractual arrangements for services, to be treated with dignity, to be paid a living wage and to work in a healthy, safe and secure workplace;
b. Allow their employees to choose freely whether to unionize or not, without intimidation or coercion;
c. Abide by their employees’ decision when a majority indicates that it supports union representation; and
d. Refrain from abusing National Labor Relations Board elections and appeals by using them as means for delaying or avoiding representation for their employees;
3. Call upon the U.S. government to amend the National Labor Relations Act to:
a. Cover agricultural workers;
b. Provide for increased penalties for the commission of unfair labor practices;
c. Ensure timely conduct of elections following the filing of representation petitions by relegating issues to postelection proceedings whenever possible; and
d. Ensure that employers and labor organization representatives have equal access to potential members of a bargaining unit during representation election campaigns.
4. Call upon the U.S. government to enforce existing OSHA regulations and increase penalties for OSHA violations; and
5. Address specific labor issues on the state level by:
a. Opposing adoption by states of “right-to-work” laws;
b. Supporting enactment of state labor laws to provide organizing and collective bargaining rights for agriculture workers; and
c. Affirming support for the organizing and collective bargaining rights of state employees.
URJ - Climate Change, Energy, Environment
Submitted by the Commission on Social Action to the Union for Reform Judaism’s 70th General Assembly
*Jewish tradition emphasizes that human dominion over nature does not provide a license to abuse the environment; rather we are called to “till and tend” God’s Earth (Genesis 2:15), and reminded in the Midrash that if we fail to do so, there will be nobody after us to repair our damage (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13).
*For more than forty years the Reform Movement has advocated in defense of our environment and all those species — from the smallest creatures to humankind itself — that rely on our shared natural habitat and resources for survival.
*Since our 1965 Resolution on Conservation and Development of Natural Resources, we have spoken out for cleaner air, water, and land by decrying toxic waste, fighting pollution, and calling on our synagogues and congregants to make wise use of limited natural resources in our personal and communal lives.
*At the same time, we have repeatedly expressed caution about the expansion of nuclear power, as in our 1991 Resolution on a New North American Energy Strategy which, “reaffirm[s] our opposition to the further expansion of nuclear energy until the unanswered questions regarding safety and disposal of nuclear wastes are satisfactorily resolved.”
*Climate change is fundamentally a social justice issue that marries our mandate to be good stewards of the earth with our call to care for the least among us.
*Urge the U.S. and Canadian governments to ...
*Urge our Movement and its members to act in ways that reflect our belief in the need for immediate action on this issue by:
-Encouraging congregations, URJ camps, and other arms of the Reform Movement to engage in concerted conservation efforts...
-...take action toward integrating an ethic of environmental stewardship into every aspect of Jewish life;
-...promoting stewardship through sustainable practices and policies...
-Encouraging the URJ and its partner institutions to support these efforts
*Jewish tradition emphasizes that human dominion over nature does not provide a license to abuse the environment; rather we are called to “till and tend” God’s Earth (Genesis 2:15), and reminded in the Midrash that if we fail to do so, there will be nobody after us to repair our damage (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13).
*For more than forty years the Reform Movement has advocated in defense of our environment and all those species — from the smallest creatures to humankind itself — that rely on our shared natural habitat and resources for survival.
*Since our 1965 Resolution on Conservation and Development of Natural Resources, we have spoken out for cleaner air, water, and land by decrying toxic waste, fighting pollution, and calling on our synagogues and congregants to make wise use of limited natural resources in our personal and communal lives.
*At the same time, we have repeatedly expressed caution about the expansion of nuclear power, as in our 1991 Resolution on a New North American Energy Strategy which, “reaffirm[s] our opposition to the further expansion of nuclear energy until the unanswered questions regarding safety and disposal of nuclear wastes are satisfactorily resolved.”
*Climate change is fundamentally a social justice issue that marries our mandate to be good stewards of the earth with our call to care for the least among us.
*Urge the U.S. and Canadian governments to ...
- Protecting tropical forests and other carbon-absorbing ecosystems around the world through sustainable development of forests and other natural resources;
- Investing in global development and dissemination of clean energy technologies;
*Urge our Movement and its members to act in ways that reflect our belief in the need for immediate action on this issue by:
-Encouraging congregations, URJ camps, and other arms of the Reform Movement to engage in concerted conservation efforts...
-...take action toward integrating an ethic of environmental stewardship into every aspect of Jewish life;
-...promoting stewardship through sustainable practices and policies...
-Encouraging the URJ and its partner institutions to support these efforts
CCAR Resolution - Environment
Adopted by the 101st Annual Convention of CCAR - Seattle, Washington, June 1990
WHEREAS we are heirs of Bal Tashchit , an environmental ethic that ever commands us to preserve and not to destroy God's world, and
WHEREAS economic, industrial, and governmental forces have combined to create an international society blinded to such an environmental ethic, to the point that has come to threaten our physical security.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the CCAR:
l. Reaffirm its commitment to previous resolutions addressing specific threats to the environment and human well-being;
2. Encourage institutions, congregations, families, and individuals to take it upon themselves to:
a) recycle as much of their waste as possible,
b) reduce the amount of waste produced.,
c) reuse as many of their resources as possible before consigning them to the waste stream,
d) dispose of hazardous waste products in as safe a way as possible,
e) encourage mandatory recycling laws in their communities, cities, states, and nation,
f) educate family, friends, associates, and members as to the means by which to meet the above goals.
3. Encourage rabbis, religious school educators, and social action committees to seek out and disseminate through their respective means the wisdom of our tradition pertinent to the preservation of God's world in order to foster and nurture a Jewish environmental ethic.
4. Recognize that while each individual bears a responsibility for living in such a way as to preserve and repair God's world, it is industry and government that are the primary corruptors and destroyers of the environment and that it is these sectors of society that therefore bear primary responsibility for repairing the damage already done and preventing further damage from occurring.
5. Promote industrial and governmental practice in accord with the ethic of Bal Tashchit (Thou shalt not destroy) through such means at our disposal, including
b) organized consumer boycotts,
6. Take the necessary steps as to convey to the leaders of this nation
a) the ethic of Bal Taschit,
b) the need for strong and effective legislation concerning:
i. the reduction. reuse, and/or recycling of all waste including that produced by the military and industry,
iii. air, water, and land pollution,
v. the use of dangerous pesticides and herbicides,
vi. the overuse of our natural resources,
vii. any other environmental issues that may arise with the advance of technology and human capability.
viii. global issues such as, but not limited to, acid rain, global warming, the development of Antarctica, ozone depletion, and rain forest destruction.
WHEREAS we are heirs of Bal Tashchit , an environmental ethic that ever commands us to preserve and not to destroy God's world, and
WHEREAS economic, industrial, and governmental forces have combined to create an international society blinded to such an environmental ethic, to the point that has come to threaten our physical security.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the CCAR:
l. Reaffirm its commitment to previous resolutions addressing specific threats to the environment and human well-being;
2. Encourage institutions, congregations, families, and individuals to take it upon themselves to:
a) recycle as much of their waste as possible,
b) reduce the amount of waste produced.,
c) reuse as many of their resources as possible before consigning them to the waste stream,
d) dispose of hazardous waste products in as safe a way as possible,
e) encourage mandatory recycling laws in their communities, cities, states, and nation,
f) educate family, friends, associates, and members as to the means by which to meet the above goals.
3. Encourage rabbis, religious school educators, and social action committees to seek out and disseminate through their respective means the wisdom of our tradition pertinent to the preservation of God's world in order to foster and nurture a Jewish environmental ethic.
4. Recognize that while each individual bears a responsibility for living in such a way as to preserve and repair God's world, it is industry and government that are the primary corruptors and destroyers of the environment and that it is these sectors of society that therefore bear primary responsibility for repairing the damage already done and preventing further damage from occurring.
5. Promote industrial and governmental practice in accord with the ethic of Bal Tashchit (Thou shalt not destroy) through such means at our disposal, including
b) organized consumer boycotts,
6. Take the necessary steps as to convey to the leaders of this nation
a) the ethic of Bal Taschit,
b) the need for strong and effective legislation concerning:
i. the reduction. reuse, and/or recycling of all waste including that produced by the military and industry,
iii. air, water, and land pollution,
v. the use of dangerous pesticides and herbicides,
vi. the overuse of our natural resources,
vii. any other environmental issues that may arise with the advance of technology and human capability.
viii. global issues such as, but not limited to, acid rain, global warming, the development of Antarctica, ozone depletion, and rain forest destruction.