Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Collective Bargaining and Union Membership
Scott, Committee Democrats Join More than 180 House Members to Press for Stronger NAFTA Labor Standards
01.24.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) joined 183 House Members in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer raising concerns about the need to address Mexico's labor conditions in NAFTA renegotiations. The Members urged the administration to negotiate provisions that address Mexico's policies of wage suppression and lack of independent unions, which leads to unfair competition for U.S. workers and outsourcing. "Trade agreements must ensure that as trade and compe… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on NLRB’s Proposed Rollback of “Fair Election” Rule
12.12.17 WASHINGTON - Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that it will issue a Request for Information on whether to rescind its 2014 "Fair Election" Rule, which modernized the NLRB process for union representation elections. "The National Labor Relations Board voted 3-2 to issue a Request for Information on whether to rescind or modify the 2014 Fair Election Rule. This Rule i… Continue Reading
Scott, Committee Democrats Introduce Bill to Protect Freedom to Join Unions
12.06.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, along with Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, Congressman Gregorio Sablan (MP-AL), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), and Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) introduced H.R. 4548, the Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act of 2017, or the … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on SCOTUS Decision to Hear Challenge to Public Sector Unions
09.28.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court issued its decision to grant certiorari in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. This case considers whether to overturn 40 years of precedent established in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, which upheld the requirement that state and local government employees who object to paying for union representation may be required to pay fees to cover the cost of representation: "Since 1977, following the Ab… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Champion Innovation and Worker Protections at Sharing Economy Hearing
09.06.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Education and the Workforce Committee held a full committee hearing on "The Sharing Economy: Creating Opportunities for Innovation and Flexibility." At today's hearing Committee Democrats explored when it is fair, appropriate, and legal for sharing economy companies to classify workers as independent contractors. Committee Democrats also considered whether the independent contractor paradigm prevailing in the sharing economy and other industries reflects what the future … Continue Reading
Cicilline, Top Dems to Sessions: Don’t Attack Workers’ Rights
07.06.17 WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, today called on U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to stop taking away the rights of working people to collectively hold their employers accountable for wage theft, employment discrimination, and other unlawful workplace conduct. Cicilline was joined by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI),… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Denounce Republican Proposals to Roll Back Working People’s Right to Bargain for Better Wages
06.29.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Republicans on the Education and the Workforce Committee voted unanimously to advance three anti-union bills that sabotage workers' ability to organize and collectively bargain for better wages. At the same time, they blocked Democrats' efforts to enact legislation that would give 22 million workers a raise through the enactment of an increase in the federal minimum wage. "Rather than considering anti-labor bills that strip workers of their ability to bargain for better wag… Continue Reading
House Republicans Continue to Sabotage Working Americans Right to Form Unions
06.14.17 WASHINGTON- TODAY, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing on three bills that deny workers' of their right to bargain for better wages and working conditions. These bills undermine the union election process, a critical step towards workers joining together for a stronger voice in the workplace. "When working Americans are empowered to collectively bargain with their employers over wages and conditions of employment, productivity gains can be… Continue Reading
Sablan: We Can Address the Needs of Working Americans by Updating Labor Protections
02.14.17 WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (MP), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, delivered the following statement during a hearing on the National Labor Relations Board. Rep. Sablan emphasized new legislative ideas to improve the National Labor Relations Act - outlined in the WAGE Act - and hoped the Committee would refocus its attention on issues where there is bipartisan consensus, rather than attacks on workers' right to organize on … Continue Reading
Scott, DeFazio Denounce New Legislation That Attacks Working Families
02.01.17 WASHINGTON - Congressmen Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Peter DeFazio (OR-04), the Ranking Members of the Committees on Education and the Workforce and Transportation and Infrastructure, respectively, issued the following statement after the introduction of H.R. 785, the so-called National Right to Work Act. These committees have jurisdiction over the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act. "This legislation clearly has one purpose: to undermine the capacity of unions to protect worker… Continue Reading
Scott, Nadler and 68 Members of Congress Applaud NLRB’s Columbia University Decision
09.26.16 WASHINGTON - Following a recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision, regarding Columbia University, which restored the right of research assistants (RAs) and teaching assistants (TAs) to form unions and collectively bargain, 69 members of Congress, led by Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), issued a statement urging private universities and colleges to ensure that TAs and RAs can fully and freely exercise these statutory rights, without interference, delay,… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Labor Day
09.02.16 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement to workers today in recognition of Labor Day, which is Monday, September 5th: "Labor Day is a time to recognize the incredible achievements of hardworking Americans. It is also a time to acknowledge that far too many people are working harder than ever, but still struggling to make ends meet. America has made significant strides toward economic recovery, with 77 consecutive months of uninterrupted private sector jo… Continue Reading
Scott, Nadler, Nearly 90 Members Issue Joint Statement on Verizon Labor Negotiations
05.19.16 WASHINGTON - TODAY, House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and 86 Members of Congress issued the following joint statement regarding the Verizon strike and ongoing labor negotiations: "We applaud Verizon's success and its ability to be profitable throughout the changes that have taken place in the telecommunications industry, but are deeply concerned about the ongoing Verizon strike." "Verizon workers build, install and… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Department of Labor’s Rule to Improve Transparency for Workers Considering Union Representation
03.23.16 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released the final rule - Persuader Agreements: Employer and Labor Relations Consultant Reporting under the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) - to implement the LMRDA provisions that prescribe transparency measures regarding the employment of union avoidance consultants: "I am pleased that the Department of Labor's persuader rule closes a sign… Continue Reading
Scott to Participate in Working Families Agenda Roundtable in Los Angeles
02.04.16 Will tour worker center, be joined by U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, State Sen. Connie Leyva LOS ANGELES - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, will participate in a Working Families Agenda roundtable discussion at the Los Angeles Black Worker Center tomorrow with workers, local elected officials, labor leaders, policy experts and family advocates to examine how recent policy changes in California can be a model for the rest of the coun… Continue Reading
Workers’ Rights Stripped at Indian-run Casinos and Other Tribal Enterprises by Anti-Labor Bill
11.17.15 WASHINGTON – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 511, the “Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2015,” by a vote of 249 to 117. This legislation would strip hundreds of thousands of workers employed at Indian-owned tribal enterprises—such as casinos, hotels and mines—of their voice in the workplace and the protections under the National Labor Relations Act. Although tribal casinos employ upwards of 600,000 people, approximately 75 percent … Continue Reading
House Democrats Introduce Working Families Resolution
10.29.15 WASHINGTON - In honor of hardworking families across the nation, today, 108 House Democrats introduced H. Res. 506, the Working Families Resolution. This resolution calls on Congress to take up the responsible policy solutions working families need to make a better life for themselves and their families. Earlier this week, in commemoration of National Work and Family Month, Members came together for a Working Families Day of Action to highlight the many ways Congress can continue to support our … Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Reject Republican Bill That Undermines Workers’ Rights to Bargain with Joint Employers
10.28.15 Democrats Offer Solutions to Strengthen the National Labor Relations Act, Boost Wages, Level the Playing Field WASHINGTON - At an Education and the Workforce Committee markup today, the Majority reported legislation that would weaken collective bargaining efforts and suppress wages for workers employed by joint employers. Committee Democrats, however, offered a series of alternatives that would strengthen working families by boosting wages, helping workers better balance work and family life… Continue Reading
Committee Releases New Report Highlighting Union Membership Impact on Country’s Economic Stability
10.06.15 "Stronger Together: How Unions Help Strengthen Families and the Nation" includes data-driven analysis, worker stories WASHINGTON - The Committee on Education and the Workforce's Democratic Staff - led by Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) - has released a new report entitled Stronger Together: How Unions Help Strengthen Families and the Nation. The report makes a renewed case that unions are essential to restoring the American Dream for millions of hardworking people in our countr… Continue Reading
Republicans’ Joint-Employer Legislation Scored by Labor Law Experts as “Harmful”
09.29.15 Democrats promise fight to block legislation that would undermine workers’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act WASHINGTON – Today, the HELP Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on H.R. 3459, the Protecting Local Business Opportunity Act—a bill that would overturn the recent National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) decision regarding the definition of a “joint-employer”. Democratic Members of the HELP Subcommittee and witnesses with expertise in la… Continue Reading