LCLAA Congratulates the House on Passing Voting Rights Legislation and Urges the Senate to Follow Suit
MEDIA STATEMENT
August 25, 2021
Contact: Pablo Stein
pstein@lclaa.org | (202) 508-6989
WASHINGTON – The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) extends its sincere congratulations to the House of Representatives for passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and calls on the Senate to follow suit when it returns to session next month.
Voting rights are critically important to Latino workers, who rely on the democratic process to defend their right to organize, ensure a safe workplace and clean environment, and protect the public services that our communities rely on. Voting is also the primary means by which Latino workers are able to push for reform on immigration policy, advance equal pay for Latinas, and push for worker friendly healthcare.
As a minority that consistently stands up for its political, civil, and labor rights, Latino workers stand to be targeted by Republican-led efforts in numerous state legislatures to limit voting rights in ways that disproportionately affect minorities and people of color. In the words of National President Yanira Merino, “We cannot allow politicians to strip Latino workers and communities of color of the civil rights that we fought so hard to obtain in previous decades.”
If enacted, this bill would defend our right to voice our political will as eligible voters by bolstering the federal review process for state voting legislation, ensuring that it does not unfairly target people of color and the working class. It is thus imperative that the Senate pass this legislation and protect one of the most fundamental rights of American democracy.
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The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) is the leading national organization for Latino(a) workers and their families. LCLAA was born in 1972 out of the need to educate, organize and mobilize Latinos in the labor movement and has expanded its influence to organize Latinos in an effort to impact workers’ rights and their influence in the political process. LCLAA represents the interest of more than 2 million Latino workers in the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), The Change to Win Federation, independent unions and all their affiliate unions. Visit LCLAA on the web at www.lclaa.org, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.