09.03.10
“As today’s jobs numbers show, while there are hopeful signs on this Labor Day, it remains a difficult time for many families, especially for millions still looking for a job. The 111th Congress and Obama administration have made great progress in turning our economy around, but more must be done to create jobs. This is not the time to turn back.
“The economic policies of the past that led to stagnating wages, rising inequality and eroding rights at work were not just bad for workers, but these policies were disastrous for the entire economy. The lesson of the Great Recession is that when you turn your back on working people and weaken America’s middle class, you undermine economic growth. We must not turn back to the reckless policies that brought us economic catastrophe. American workers deserve better.
“On this Labor Day, we continue our commitment to all workers who contribute to the nation’s success by pushing for good jobs with fair pay, decent retirement, safe working conditions, and dignity and rights on the job. When American workers are allowed to share in the prosperity they help create, they rebuild the middle class and our country’s economy.”
***
BACKGROUND
Here are just some of the accomplishments made on behalf of American workers by the 111th Congress and Obama administration:
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (enacted January 29, 2009)
The first major piece of legislation signed by President Obama, ensured that women and other workers who receive discriminatory pay have access to a remedy. The new law reversed the May 2007 Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear and restored prior law which treated each discriminatory paycheck received by a worker as a violation of the Civil Rights Act. As long as workers file their charges within 180 days of a discriminatory paycheck, their claims for a remedy would be considered timely.
Affordable Care Act (reforms enacted March 23 and March 30, 2010)
The reforms signed into law will protect Americans from the worst insurance company practices, offer the uninsured and small businesses the opportunity to obtain affordable health care plans and cover 32 million uninsured Americans, all while reducing the deficit by $143 billion over the next decade and more than a trillion dollars over 20 years.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (enacted February 17, 2009)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has begun to rebuild our economy by creating or saving 3 to 4 million jobs – including hundreds of thousands of jobs in the education sector – and provide workers with the training and skills they need to succeed in green and other emerging industries. In addition to creating jobs in other sectors of our economy, education investments in the legislation will save or boost job growth well into the future.
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (enacted March 30, 2010)
The law, which saves taxpayers $61 billion over 10 years by switching to the more efficient Direct Loan program, will help America reach President Obama’s goal of producing the most college graduates by 2020 by making college more accessible and transforming the way our student loan programs operate. It will strengthen community colleges and training programs to help build a highly skilled, innovative, 21st century workforce ready for the global economy.
Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act (enacted August 10, 2010)
The law will help save 161,000 teacher jobs and will discourage American corporations from shipping jobs overseas. The measure includes $10 billion to save teacher jobs and $16.1 billion in health assistance to the states. The funding will also keep police officers and firefighters on the job, at no cost to taxpayers.
Increase the Minimum Wage (July 24, 2009)
The national minimum wage increased by 70 cents per hour – from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour – the final of three increases to take effect under legislation enacted by the Democratic Congress. This last increase gave 4.5 million workers a badly needed boost in their pay.
401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act (language approved by the House May 28, 2010)
Passed by the House as part of the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, 401(k) fee disclosure will help workers secure their retirement by helping them to shop around for the best retirement options by requiring simple fee disclosure on the investment options contained in their employer’s 401(k) plan.
Robert C. Byrd Miner Safety and Health Act (approved by the Education and Labor Committee on July 21, 2010)
The bill would provide stronger tools to ensure that underground coal mine operations with troubling safety records improve conditions, empower workers to speak up about safety concerns and give the Department of Labor the tools it needs to ensure that all workers go home safely at the end of the day. The bill would also extend similar worker protections to all workplaces in order to hold employers accountable if they knowingly put their workers in danger.
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 (enacted July 22, 2010)
The legislation restored unemployment benefits to an estimated 2.5 million to the long-term unemployed whose benefits ended.
Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act (approved by the House on July 30, 2010)
On a strong bipartisan vote of 315 to 93, the legislation will extend modern whistleblower protections to workers whose employers are engaged in oil and gas exploration, drilling, production, or cleanup on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Currently, individuals working on the OCS have no protection against retaliation by an employer for speaking up on hazardous conditions.
Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act (approved by the House on July 19, 2010)
The bill will help address local skills shortages by bringing employers in key industries together with education, labor, workforce, and other groups to identify and provide training tailored to meet the sector needs of that region’s economy
Affordable Health Care Coverage for Laid-off Workers (enacted as part of the Recovery Act)
A provision in the Recovery Act has helped millions of laid off workers in this recession with the cost of their health insurance coverage.
Protecting Workers’ Wages (announced March 25, 2009)
As a result of increased funding in the Recovery Act, the Department of Labor announced that the agency plans on hiring 250 investigators for its Wage and Hour Division. A Government Accountability Office investigation found many investigations of wage theft, in which workers are not paid minimum wages or not paid at all, were inadequately handled by the Bush administration’s Wage and Hour Division, which had been starved of staff and resources.
Withdrawing Last-Minute Bush Proposal to Weaken Worker Health & Safety Protections (Announced May 15, 2009)
The Department of Labor announced that they will withdraw a Bush era proposal that would have dramatically weakened future workplace health and safety regulations and slow their enactment. The Washington Post reported that a proposal being developed by Bush political appointees in secret with little consultation with career agency health and safety experts would have added additional red tape to an already slow regulatory process.
Restore Workers’ Rights in Federal Contracts (Jan. 30, 2009)
President Obama overturned three Bush administration executive orders and reaffirmed that the interests of hard working Americans will not take a back seat to corporations and CEOs. Overturning these three Bush-era orders is an important step to restore a rational balance regarding the rights of employees in the workplace.
Chairman Miller Statement on Labor Day and August Jobs Numbers
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, released the following statement in honor of Labor Day and the announcement that the economy created 67,000 private sector jobs in August, the eighth straight month of private sector job growth. “Labor Day is a time to reflect on the achievements of the American worker and our nation’s commitment to helping all families pursue the American Dream.“As today’s jobs numbers show, while there are hopeful signs on this Labor Day, it remains a difficult time for many families, especially for millions still looking for a job. The 111th Congress and Obama administration have made great progress in turning our economy around, but more must be done to create jobs. This is not the time to turn back.
“The economic policies of the past that led to stagnating wages, rising inequality and eroding rights at work were not just bad for workers, but these policies were disastrous for the entire economy. The lesson of the Great Recession is that when you turn your back on working people and weaken America’s middle class, you undermine economic growth. We must not turn back to the reckless policies that brought us economic catastrophe. American workers deserve better.
“On this Labor Day, we continue our commitment to all workers who contribute to the nation’s success by pushing for good jobs with fair pay, decent retirement, safe working conditions, and dignity and rights on the job. When American workers are allowed to share in the prosperity they help create, they rebuild the middle class and our country’s economy.”
***
BACKGROUND
Here are just some of the accomplishments made on behalf of American workers by the 111th Congress and Obama administration:
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (enacted January 29, 2009)
The first major piece of legislation signed by President Obama, ensured that women and other workers who receive discriminatory pay have access to a remedy. The new law reversed the May 2007 Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear and restored prior law which treated each discriminatory paycheck received by a worker as a violation of the Civil Rights Act. As long as workers file their charges within 180 days of a discriminatory paycheck, their claims for a remedy would be considered timely.
Affordable Care Act (reforms enacted March 23 and March 30, 2010)
The reforms signed into law will protect Americans from the worst insurance company practices, offer the uninsured and small businesses the opportunity to obtain affordable health care plans and cover 32 million uninsured Americans, all while reducing the deficit by $143 billion over the next decade and more than a trillion dollars over 20 years.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (enacted February 17, 2009)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has begun to rebuild our economy by creating or saving 3 to 4 million jobs – including hundreds of thousands of jobs in the education sector – and provide workers with the training and skills they need to succeed in green and other emerging industries. In addition to creating jobs in other sectors of our economy, education investments in the legislation will save or boost job growth well into the future.
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (enacted March 30, 2010)
The law, which saves taxpayers $61 billion over 10 years by switching to the more efficient Direct Loan program, will help America reach President Obama’s goal of producing the most college graduates by 2020 by making college more accessible and transforming the way our student loan programs operate. It will strengthen community colleges and training programs to help build a highly skilled, innovative, 21st century workforce ready for the global economy.
Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act (enacted August 10, 2010)
The law will help save 161,000 teacher jobs and will discourage American corporations from shipping jobs overseas. The measure includes $10 billion to save teacher jobs and $16.1 billion in health assistance to the states. The funding will also keep police officers and firefighters on the job, at no cost to taxpayers.
Increase the Minimum Wage (July 24, 2009)
The national minimum wage increased by 70 cents per hour – from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour – the final of three increases to take effect under legislation enacted by the Democratic Congress. This last increase gave 4.5 million workers a badly needed boost in their pay.
401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act (language approved by the House May 28, 2010)
Passed by the House as part of the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, 401(k) fee disclosure will help workers secure their retirement by helping them to shop around for the best retirement options by requiring simple fee disclosure on the investment options contained in their employer’s 401(k) plan.
Robert C. Byrd Miner Safety and Health Act (approved by the Education and Labor Committee on July 21, 2010)
The bill would provide stronger tools to ensure that underground coal mine operations with troubling safety records improve conditions, empower workers to speak up about safety concerns and give the Department of Labor the tools it needs to ensure that all workers go home safely at the end of the day. The bill would also extend similar worker protections to all workplaces in order to hold employers accountable if they knowingly put their workers in danger.
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 (enacted July 22, 2010)
The legislation restored unemployment benefits to an estimated 2.5 million to the long-term unemployed whose benefits ended.
Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act (approved by the House on July 30, 2010)
On a strong bipartisan vote of 315 to 93, the legislation will extend modern whistleblower protections to workers whose employers are engaged in oil and gas exploration, drilling, production, or cleanup on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Currently, individuals working on the OCS have no protection against retaliation by an employer for speaking up on hazardous conditions.
Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act (approved by the House on July 19, 2010)
The bill will help address local skills shortages by bringing employers in key industries together with education, labor, workforce, and other groups to identify and provide training tailored to meet the sector needs of that region’s economy
Affordable Health Care Coverage for Laid-off Workers (enacted as part of the Recovery Act)
A provision in the Recovery Act has helped millions of laid off workers in this recession with the cost of their health insurance coverage.
Protecting Workers’ Wages (announced March 25, 2009)
As a result of increased funding in the Recovery Act, the Department of Labor announced that the agency plans on hiring 250 investigators for its Wage and Hour Division. A Government Accountability Office investigation found many investigations of wage theft, in which workers are not paid minimum wages or not paid at all, were inadequately handled by the Bush administration’s Wage and Hour Division, which had been starved of staff and resources.
Withdrawing Last-Minute Bush Proposal to Weaken Worker Health & Safety Protections (Announced May 15, 2009)
The Department of Labor announced that they will withdraw a Bush era proposal that would have dramatically weakened future workplace health and safety regulations and slow their enactment. The Washington Post reported that a proposal being developed by Bush political appointees in secret with little consultation with career agency health and safety experts would have added additional red tape to an already slow regulatory process.
Restore Workers’ Rights in Federal Contracts (Jan. 30, 2009)
President Obama overturned three Bush administration executive orders and reaffirmed that the interests of hard working Americans will not take a back seat to corporations and CEOs. Overturning these three Bush-era orders is an important step to restore a rational balance regarding the rights of employees in the workplace.
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