Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Wage and Hour Issues
Rep Takano: DOL Must Withdraw Proposed Tip Rule
02.01.18 Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Committee on Workforce Protections, called on the Department of Labor (DOL) to withdraw its proposed tip pooling rule, which would allow employers to pocket or redistribute the tips earned by workers. This morning, a Bloomberg BNA report revealed that senior DOL officials hid an internal economic analysis that found the rule would cost workers billions of dollars in tips. "The Department of Labor's decision to hide an … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Calls on DOL to Withdraw Harmful Proposed Tip Rule
02.01.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after Bloomberg Law reported that the Department of Labor (DOL) withheld a legally required economic analysis for its proposed rule to allow employers to pocket tips of workers. "I am deeply troubled by allegations that the Department of Labor (DOL) may have withheld estimates that workers would lose billions in tips each year under the Department's proposed … Continue Reading
Top Democrats Ask DOL for Public Hearing on Proposed Tip Rule
01.23.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05), vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), vice ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, sent a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Alexander Acosta requesting the DOL hold publ… Continue Reading
Democrats Respond to DOL Extending Tip Regulations Comment Period
12.12.17 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05), vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), vice ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee issued the following joint statement in response to the Department of Labor's decision to grant … Continue Reading
46 Democrats Urge Administration to Extend New Tip-Pooling Regulations Comment Period
12.11.17 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05), vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), vice ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and 42 other Democrats sent a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Alexander Acosta to reques… 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, Takano, Brown, Murray Introduce Bill To Expand Overtime Pay For Millions Of Workers
11.30.17 WASHINGTON- U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Patty Murray (D-WA), along with U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Mark Takano (D-CA), today introduced legislation to make at least four million American workers newly eligible for overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours a week, providing economic security to millions of working families. The Restoring Overtime Pay Act (H.R. 4505) would increase the overtime salary level from $23,660 per year to $48,412 per year, making at least four mi… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Hold Trump Administration Accountable for Anti-Worker Agenda
11.15.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary R. Alexander Acosta testified before the full Committee on Education and the Workforce. As the Secretary, Mr. Acosta is the steward of the laws that govern our nation's workplaces and promote a fairer economy for all. Secretary Acosta's testimony comes at a critical time for America's working people. Despite low levels of unemployment, millions of workers are still struggling to make ends meet and get ahead in the workplace. Rather tha… Continue Reading
House Passes Anti-Worker Bill that Weakens Workplace Protections
11.07.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3441, the so-called "Save Local Business Act", by a vote of 242-181, largely on party lines. The vote today was a blow for working people and their legal right to negotiate for higher pay and to secure the money they have earned. In recent years, employers have increasingly moved away from directly hiring employees in favor of using permatemps or subcontracting to reduce labor costs and liability. This means for many workers, the name… Continue Reading
House & Senate Democrats Stand With Labor Leaders And Unveil “A Better Deal” For Workers
11.01.17 At A Time When The GOP & Special Interests Are Looking To Scale Back Worker Protections To Maximize Corporate & CEO Profits, Dems Unveil "A Better Deal," Which Would Safeguard American Workers' Freedom To Negotiate With Employers Dems' Plan Would Strengthen Penalties On Predatory Corporations That Violate Workers' Rights, Increase Workers' Abilities To Strike For Workplace Improvements, Protect Integrity Of Union Elections, Use Federal Purchasing Power To Help Expand Negotiating Abil… Continue Reading
Rep. Takano Statement on DOL Appealing Texas Court Decision to Block Overtime Rule
10.30.17 WASHINGTON - Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement today after the Department of Labor said it will appeal a Texas court decision invalidating the Obama administration's overtime rule, which would extend overtime protections to millions of middle-class workers. "I share the widely held view that the Texas court decision to block the overtime rule was deeply flawed and jeopardizes the Department of Labor's basic authority to issue rules that protect American workers. In th… Continue Reading
Republicans Pass Bill Dismantling Worker Protections
10.04.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a markup on H.R. 3441, the so-called "Save Local Business Act." The bill creates a new, narrow definition of a joint employer under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), limiting whom workers may hold responsible for wage theft or unfair labor practices when there are multiple employers who control terms and conditions of employment. Attacks on worker rights under the NLRA have been t… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray Lead Democratic Opposition to Weakening Overtime Protections for Working Families
09.26.17 WASHINGTON -Yesterday, Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and 77 other Democrats sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, urging the Department of Labor to support strong overtime protections. Instead of promoting policies to help more working families join the middle class, The Trump Administration h… Continue Reading
Democrats Oppose Republican Attempts to Dismantle Worker Protections
09.13.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a joint subcommittee hearing on the so-called "Save Local Business Act" (H.R. 3441). Labor and employment laws have long held, where more than one employer controls terms and conditions of employment, an employee may hold multiple or joint employers accountable for violating wage and hour laws or refusing to collectively bargain. By creating a new, narrow defin… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Latest Decision Dismantling the Overtime Rule
09.01.17 WASHINGTON - Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce issued the following statement after a federal judge in Texas ruled against the Obama Administration's rule to ensure millions of working people are paid adequately for the hours they work. "A Texas district court judge recently declared the Department of Labor's (DOL) 2016 overtime final rule invalid. The court's decision is a setback for hundreds of thousands of working people who will … Continue Reading
Murray, Brown, Franken, DeLauro, Scott Introduce Bill to Stop Wage Theft, Boost Workers’ Financial Security
08.01.17 (Washington, D.C.) - Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Al Franken (D-MN), and Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Bobby Scott (D-VA), introduced the Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act to crack down on employers who unfairly withhold wages from their employees. This bill would give workers the right to receive full compensation for all of the work they perform, as well as the right to receive regular paystubs and final paychecks in a timely manner. It would also… Continue Reading
Rep. Takano: Overtime Rule Needs to Be Implemented, Not Rewritten
07.25.17 WASHINGTON - Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, released the following statement after the Department of Labor filed a Request for Information, which is intended to delay, weaken, and eventually repeal the updated overtime rule. The rule, finalized under the Obama administration, would restore overtime protections to millions of middle-class American workers. "In an administration defined by chaos and instability, President Trump's betray… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on President Trump’s FY18 Budget
05.23.17 WASHINGTON – Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the White House released its Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal that cuts $9 billion from the Department of Education, slashes funding for the Department of Labor by 20 percent, and diminishes the Department of Health and Human Services’ ability to deliver early learning programs and health care for the American people. “A budget is a reflectio… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Republicans’ Harmful Bill Stripping Workers of Overtime Pay
05.02.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House Republicans passed (229-197) H.R. 1180, the Working Families Flexibility Act, which strips working people of their overtime pay. "Today the House voted on H.R. 1180 and 191 Democrats voted against this proposal. H.R. 1180 amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to permit employers to pay employees for hours worked beyond 40 in a week in compensatory time off (one and one-half hours of paid time off at som… Continue Reading
Committee Republicans Pass Harmful Bill Stripping Workers of Overtime Pay
04.26.17 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a markup on H.R. 1180, the Working Families Flexibility Act. Republicans rejected Democrats' efforts to advance amendments that would have provided real solutions for workers - paid sick days, fair work schedules, and strengthened overtime protections. Republicans voted unanimously (22-16) to make it harder for working people to be paid for every hour on the job. "H.R. 1180 doesn't give employees any rights they don't al… Continue Reading