House Resolution 1135 in the United States House of Representatives is a stealthy little bill by a group of House Republicans. This bill, introduced on 24 March of this year, the text is as follows:
"(3) Striking Workers Ineligible – Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no member of a family unit shall participate in the food stamp program at any time that any able-bodied work eligible adult member of such household is on strike as defined in the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 142(2)), because of a labor dispute (other than a lockout) as defined in section 2(9) of the National Labor Relations Act …”
Essentially any family in which even just one family member goes on strike the rest of the family has to suffer the consequences including children dependent on food stamps. 80% of households on food stamps have children. As of December 2010, 44.1 million people receive food stamps in the United States including nearly 1.8 million in Georgia alone. In 2009, a nationwide study conducted over a 32 years period surveying 4,800 households by Mark Rank and Thomas Hirschl of Cornell University concluded that half of the United States population was at some point in their childhood received food stamps. And now, with H.R. 1135, if voted and signed into law would pull the food off the table from children and their parents if even one member of the household decided to exercise their right to strike.
Families when choosing to collectively bargain and as a last resort may go on strike now have consider the ramifications of such actions, whether or not they are willing to sacrifice putting food on their tables. This is just yet another attack at the working class' right to collectively bargain, however, this is far more sinister in terms of the actual results.
But, whatever, right. I think they should starve. Who cares. I don't.
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