U.S. LABOR LAW IS A PAPER TIGER IN NEED OF C.L.A.W.S.

An Emergency Petition to Protect 170 Million Americans’ Right to Act Collectively—With or Without a Union

First Amendment Petition of Grievances from US Workers to the US Congress

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TO THE HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS:

We, the 170 million American workers who built this nation and form the backbone of its free economy, approach you not as supplicants begging for favors, but as citizens demanding the enforcement of rights that already exist on paper but vanish into nothingness when we attempt to exercise them.

Your party affiliations have positioned each of you in a pro-union versus anti-union battle, leaving 90% of nonunion workers afraid of reprisals if they approach their employers. Meanwhile, corporate interests profit from your division, leaving us vulnerable to retaliation.

We have zero confidence in any member of Congress or the administration—your focus on the union minority over the majority of American workers has crippled protection for all workers to organize, discuss wages, and act collectively. But we offer you this choice: support the Comprehensive Labor and Worker Safeguards Act (C.L.A.W.S. Act), vote for real enforcement, and stand with all 170 million workers—or we will replace you, one by one, until all stand with the workers.

This is not negotiation. This is a notification.

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THE PAPER TIGER REVEALED

America’s Clawless Labor Protection: The Great American Lie Exposed

Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act gives all American workers the right to extend their Constitutional rights of free speech, association, due process, equal protection under the law, and freedom from involuntary servitude—all extended to the workplace through the right to “act collectively” to negotiate better compensation and working conditions.

Yet these worker protection laws are Paper Tigers—fierce in appearance but powerless in reality. They roar in congressional chambers and courtrooms, yet whimper pathetically when workers need them most.

We possess “rights” that exist only in theory:

• The right to organize without retaliation, but we can be fired instantly with no real consequences for employers
• The right to demand fair wages—but we risk blacklisting, while employers face trivial fines
• The right to safe working conditions—but employers act with impunity because penalties are meaningless
• The right to collective action—but we cannot afford the consequences, while employers can
• The right to protection from discrimination—but justice moves too slowly to matter, and penalties are too small to deter

These are not rights. These are suggestions that employers ignore because the laws lack enforcement.

A law without enforcement is not a law. It is a suggestion that employers ignore.

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WORKERS FIRST, UNIONS AS AN OPTION

Perhaps the crux of the problem is ignorance of what a union truly is: two workers dreaming of better wages together in the breakroom is a union under Section 7, with all the same protections as the UAW or Teamsters.

Section 7 was intended to grant collective action rights to all American workers; however, those rights are often misinterpreted as belonging exclusively to unions. That’s backwards. The original intent was to give workers rights first; unions are simply one way to exercise those rights. The evolution to “unionize first, then negotiate second” has built a political struggle that mirrors the left-versus-right battle for power, leaving 90% of workers unprotected in the crossfire.

The Break Room Union Reality

When two coworkers discuss their wages in a break room, they form a legal union with all the rights of the UAW or Teamsters. This is not theory—this is law under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.

But this knowledge has been lost to workers over time. We are fed the same false story: that pro-union versus anti-union is the only thing that counts—unionize first, negotiate last. Those who discover these rights often lack the knowledge to utilize them effectively. And those who learn are too terrified to try—not because they’ve seen retaliation, but because the laws meant to protect them have no claws.

In break rooms across America, millions of unions bud, bloom, and wither every day. Coworkers whisper about better salaries and working conditions, wish they could organize, then retreat into “if only” tones of defeat. The system succeeds not through enforcement, but through lack of enforcement that allows employers to act with impunity.

Randell S. Hynes, US Workers Alliance founder

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THE SYSTEMATIC BETRAYAL OF OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS

Every morning, 170 million Americans wake with terror in their hearts—not from foreign enemies or economic downturns, but from their own government’s refusal to put CLAWS in the LAWS that protect our constitutional right to act collectively.

The First Amendment protects our right to petition the government for redress of grievances. Congress enacted Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act to extend similar protections to the workplace, giving all workers the statutory right to act collectively when petitioning their employers. Yet Congress has failed to enforce this law with meaningful penalties.

The betrayal is bipartisan and complete:

• Republicans take corporate money and crush worker rights through anti-union legislation while refusing to enforce Section 7 protections
• Democrats take union money, promote pro-union bills, while ignoring the 90% of workers who aren’t unionized
• Both parties promise action during elections, then pass laws that look strong but lack enforcement
• All politicians maintain this system through deliberate neglect of Section 7 enforcement

The current administration’s anti-union policies effectively undermine the National Labor Relations Board’s already weak enforcement capabilities, stripping Section 7 rights from the majority of nonunion workers. These workers work in fear, never question the status quo, and often rely on credit cards and payday loans to survive. Their employers frequently direct them to apply for food stamps to make ends meet.

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THE ENFORCEMENT CRISIS

The National Labor Relations Act—our supposed shield—has become ineffective. The Paper Tiger’s teeth are plastic. Employers violate worker rights with impunity because:

1. Penalties are meaningless – Fines are cheaper than compliance; employers profit from violations
2. Justice is delayed – NLRB cases take years while workers face eviction; employers can afford to wait
3. Retaliation is rewarded – Employers save money by firing organizers and paying trivial fines
4. Protection is theoretical – Rights exist only for those who can afford years of litigation

Rights without enforcement are not rights at all.

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THE HUMAN COST OF UNENFORCED LAWS

We are not statistics. We are your constituents, your neighbors, your family members.

• The ICU Nurse: Fired for Demanding PPE During COVID-19. Her employer paid a $2,000 fine three years later. The law failed to protect her when she needed it.
• The Warehouse Worker: Blacklisted for organizing about unsafe conditions. His employer faced no real consequences. The law failed to defend him.
• The Tech Worker: Laid off for discussing salaries. Her legal protections were meaningless—her employer ignored them because the penalties were trivial.
• The Farm Worker: Retaliated against for reporting wage theft. His “protection” was slower than his family’s hunger and weaker than his employer’s profits.

These workers had rights on paper. But the laws protecting those rights were not enforced.

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THE SOLUTION: THE COMPREHENSIVE LABOR AND WORKER SAFEGUARDS ACT (C.L.A.W.S. ACT)

We demand legislation that puts C.L.A.W.S. in the LAWS protecting our constitutional right to act collectively:

1. CENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT SYSTEM

• Single federal platform for workplace documentation
• Built into the existing IRS, SSA, and CMS systems
• Mandatory employer registration for all businesses
• Worker anonymity protection until demands are submitted
• Government-verified records preventing employer denial
• Accessible from any device, anywhere
• Automatic enforcement triggers when retaliation is documented

2. IMMEDIATE FINANCIAL PENALTIES

• $50,000 minimum penalty per violation—high enough to make retaliation unprofitable
• Escalating penalties: Double for second offense, triple for third
• Personal accountability: Executives who authorize violations face personal fines and potential criminal charges
• Triple back pay plus $100,000 compensation for retaliation
• No settlements below statutory minimums: Employers cannot buy their way out with trivial payments
• Business license suspension for repeat violators
• Penalties paid within 30 days, not 30 months

3. EXPEDITED JUSTICE SYSTEM

• Cases resolved in days, not years—30-day maximum resolution for retaliation claims
• Emergency reinstatement within 48 hours for fired workers
• Automatic penalties assessed within 72 hours of documented retaliation
• Immediate wage garnishment from employers who don’t pay penalties
• No delays: Automatic penalties if employers don’t respond within 72 hours
• No appeals without a bond: Employers must post the full penalty amount to appeal
• Fast-track courts for worker protection cases

4. UNIVERSAL PROTECTION

• Coverage for all 170 million workers, not just union members
• Gig workers, contractors, and part-time employees are included
• Protection that doesn’t require unionization first
• Coverage that matches the modern economy
• No retaliation loopholes: Any adverse action within 6 months of protected activity triggers automatic investigation

5. WORKER CONTROL

• Register activities anonymously from any device
• Document organizing, wage discussions, and safety complaints
• Choose when to reveal identity or submit demands
• Access government-verified evidence for enforcement
• Receive immediate confirmation of registrations
• Automatic protection activates upon registration—employers cannot retaliate without triggering immediate penalties

6. MEANINGFUL ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS

• Independent investigators with real power
• Automatic case generation when retaliation occurs—no waiting for workers to file
• Whistleblower protection with financial rewards
• Criminal prosecution: Willful violations result in jail time for executives
• No corporate shields: Personal liability for executives who authorize violations
• Federal charges for systematic rights violations

This is what real enforcement looks like. This is what happens when Congress puts enforcement power in the laws.

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YOU NOW FACE A BINARY CHOICE

OPTION 1 – STAND WITH 170 MILLION WORKERS:

✓ PASS the Comprehensive Labor and Worker Safeguards Act (C.L.A.W.S. Act) into law

✓ Do not study it. Do not defer it to hearings. Do not read it into the record. PASS IT.

✓ Vote YES on final passage

✓ Put real enforcement in the laws that protect all 170 million workers’ right to act collectively

✓ Earn the electoral support of US Workers

OPTION 2 – STAND WITH CORPORATE INTERESTS:

✗ Offer symbolic laws instead of laws with enforcement

✗ Hold hearings that lead nowhere

✗ Read our petition into the record and do nothing

✗ Propose watered-down alternatives without enforcement

✗ Face systematic replacement, district by district

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We will track every vote. We will publish every score. We will contest every election.

170 million workers, millions of petition signers. Every competitive district. Every close election. We are the margin of victory or defeat.

History will record your choice. Workers will enforce the consequences.

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WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED WITH SYMBOLIC GESTURES

We know the playbook:

Congress will attempt to neutralize this petition through symbolic victories:

• Reading it into the Congressional record
• Holding hearings that lead nowhere
• Expressing sympathy without action
• Promising to “study the issue.”
• Creating committees that never report
• Offering watered-down alternatives without enforcement mechanisms
• Passing laws that look strong but lack enforcement

We reject all symbolic gestures.

We demand one thing and one thing only: passage of the Comprehensive Labor and Worker Safeguards Act (C.L.A.W.S. Act) into law—a law that actually protects workers.

Not hearings. Not studies. Not expressions of concern. Not promises to consider. Not watered-down alternatives. Not laws without enforcement mechanisms.

PASSAGE WITH REAL ENFORCEMENT. NOTHING LESS.

Any member of Congress who votes against final passage will be scored as opposing workers, regardless of their symbolic support. Any member who offers alternatives without enforcement mechanisms, rather than supporting the C.L.A.W.S. Act, will be scored as opposing workers.

The scorecard tracks only one vote: final passage of the C.L.A.W.S. Act.

Everything else is theater.

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THE ULTIMATUM

We have reached the limit of our patience with toothless politics.

To Every Member of Congress:

PASS:

• The Comprehensive Labor and Worker Safeguards Act (C.L.A.W.S. Act) into law
• Not amended. Not watered down. Not “studied.” PASSED.
• With full enforcement mechanisms and meaningful penalties
• With real consequences that make retaliation unprofitable
• Vote YES on final passage or be scored as opposing workers
• No symbolic gestures will be accepted as substitutes

OR FACE:

• Electoral accountability for every vote against final passage
• Systematic replacement, district by district
• Congressional scorecards showing your vote on final passage
• Mobilization of millions of petition signers against you
• Peaceful collective action to highlight the Paper Tiger system
• Legal challenges to laws that promise protection but deliver betrayal
• Economic pressure through coordinated consumer and labor actions

We will track only one vote: final passage of the C.L.A.W.S. Act with full enforcement mechanisms.

Everything else is theater. We will not be distracted. We will not be appeased. We will not be silenced.

PASSAGE WITH REAL ENFORCEMENT OR REPLACEMENT. Those are your only options.

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THE TIME FOR EMPTY PROMISES IS OVER

We will no longer accept “rights” that exist only until we need them.

We will no longer tolerate laws that protect politicians’ rhetoric while leaving workers’ livelihoods unprotected.

We will no longer participate in a system that criminalizes worker dignity through failed enforcement.

We will no longer accept laws without enforcement.

The Paper Tiger must die so that absolute protection can live.

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OUR SOLEMN PLEDGE

We pledge to use every peaceful, legal, and democratic means available to transform Paper Tigers into Iron Lions. We will vote, organize, speak, march, and act until Congress passes the Comprehensive Labor and Worker Safeguards Act (C.L.A.W.S. Act) into law—with full enforcement mechanisms.

We seek not revolution but enforcement. Not destruction but fulfillment. Not new rights but real enforcement of the rights we already possess.

The era of unenforced worker protection is over.

We demand enforcement of the laws.

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NO SYMBOLIC VICTORIES

We have watched Congress neutralize movements for decades through symbolic gestures. Not this time.

We will not celebrate hearings. We will not accept expressions of sympathy. We will not be satisfied with promises to study the issue. We will not accept watered-down alternatives. We will not accept laws without enforcement.

We demand that the Comprehensive Labor and Worker Safeguards Act (C.L.A.W.S. Act) be enacted into law—with full enforcement mechanisms and meaningful penalties.

When the petition is delivered to Congress before September 7, 2026, we will have one question for every member:

“Will you vote YES on final passage of the C.L.A.W.S. Act with full enforcement mechanisms?”

Yes or No. No equivocation. No symbolic support. No alternative proposals. No weak compromises.

Your answer to that question will determine your political future.