Labor Unions Seek Bargaining Rights for Connecticut National Guard Members
Labor unions filed a lawsuit Monday seeking collective bargaining rights for Connecticut National Guard members on active state duty ordered by the governor, saying they should be entitled to organize the same way as civilian state employees.
A 1978 federal law makes it a criminal felony for members of the armed forces, including the National Guard, to join or attempt to form a labor organization. But the statute only applies to service members when they are on active federal duty ordered by U.S. military officials, according to the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School.
The clinic is representing four Connecticut state employees unions that filed the lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice. The lawsuit seeks confirmation that the law does not prevent National Guard members from unionizing while on active state duty and that they would not face criminal charges for doing so.
