Labor

Today, December 2nd, marks the longest period in the history of the federal minimum wage law that Congress has not raised the minimum wage. For the last nine years and three months, millions of hard-working Americans have had to make ends meet on just $5.15 per hour - an impossible task when you consider that the costs of many of life's basic necessities - groceries, child care, health insurance, and housing - have risen dramatically during that time. Since the minimum wage was first established in 1938, it has never gone this long without an increase.

On Election Day, voters across the country made their position clear by passing minimum wage ballot initiatives in six states, and by electing a new Congressional leadership that has pledged to put the American Dream back within reach of all working families. Our first step towards expanding and strengthening our nation's middle class will be to finally give workers the long-overdue pay raise they deserve by raising the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour. If we truly value work, then we have to ensure that all workers receive a fair day's pay for an honest day's work.

Imagine working full-time, 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, and not having enough money to pay rent, put gas in the car and eat. The idea is absurd, but for millions of Americans, it’s real.

Today marks the longest period workers in this country have gone without a minimum wage increase since the federal minimum wage was enacted in 1938. Working people have been stretched to the limit and this year, on Election Day, they snapped back. By the millions, voters turned out to change the direction of our country and, in part, to end the Congressional stalemate on the minimum wage. Raising it is both an economic and a moral issue.

In every state where the minimum wage was on the ballot as an initiative, it passed -- in Ohio, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana and Nevada. By huge margins, voters rejected $5.15 an hour.

With the addition of the six states, 28 states and the District of Columbia now have minimum wage laws above the federal $5.15. It’s time to bring everyone up. No one can live, let alone raise a family, on $11,000 a year, which is more than a full time minimum wage worker earns annually. America needs a raise. Read more...

A new survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), which shows that college graduates are entering the best job market in four years, highlights the strength and projected growth of the American economy, but also underscores the need to improve the education pipeline from high school to post-secondary education and the workplace.

The American economy has grown stronger over the last several years, leading employers to increase hiring and raise wages and salaries. As a result, unemployment is at a five-year low, wages and benefits are up 3.3 percent over last year, and employers are hiring more graduates out of college at higher starting salaries. To ensure that the American economy can remain competitive in the years to come and that more Americans can reap the benefits of this economic strength, we must take steps to graduate more students on time and with the knowledge and skills to be successful in the 21st century workplace. Read more...

This past Saturday, I spoke to the nation in the Democrats' weekly radio address and discussed three pledges that Democrats are making to the country:

1.) We will and must change the way things are done in Washington;
2.) We will work with the President and our Republican colleagues in Congress to forge a new direction in Iraq; and
3.) We will address the concerns and issues that affect the lives of working families.

Let me elaborate a bit more on those pledges. First, Washington has to change the way it does business. Democrats seek to restore civility and integrity to our legislative process, and transparency and accountability to our government. We will reach across the aisle and seek bipartisan consensus whenever possible and pass legislation that ensures ethics and lobbying reform.

Second, the strategy in Iraq is not working. In the days ahead, the Iraqis must make the tough decisions and accept responsibility for their future. Read more...

The message from this election is clear. There’s little doubt that the American people want a change of course in Iraq. But they also want a government that stands with them and their families as they look to the future – jobs that reward their hard work, health care that is good and affordable, and education that continues to open the door to the American dream for all of our citizens.

That was the agenda of the voters in this election and it will be the agenda of our Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee when we convene in the new year. And with Senator Reid as our majority leader, America’s families will see great progress on the issues that they care most about.

My first priority will be to increase the minimum wage. Americans are working harder than ever, but millions of hard-working men and women across the country aren’t getting their fair share. We’re not rewarding work fairly anymore, and working families are falling behind. Read more...

Working Americans won a major victory last week, heralding a new era for our country. They voted for the leaders that would have an impact on the issues that matter most for their future. For far too long, working Americans have suffered from stagnant wages, rising health care costs and an increased cost of living. Armed with a restored confidence in the democratic process, workers can now look to the future with hope. The 110th Congress now has the historic opportunity to make a positive change in the lives of the millions who voted them into power.

Change is already on the way. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, in line to be the next Speaker of the House, has set forth a plan for the first “100 hours. Read more...

Recent polls reveal a reversal of fortune for the Republican Party. They also show a change in the number one issue for the electorate. Asked what’s at stake in this year’s election, the average voter says a solution to the Iraq quagmire. Even more revealing is the fact that a majority of Americans now specifically fault President Bush and his party for bungling the post-war plan or, even worse, for not having a plan in the first place.

While this shift among the American public is only weeks old, a strong majority of union members have been turned off for years by this administration and its co-conspirators in Congress. And unlike the average voter and Iraq, union members fault this administration for its ability to actually set a clear goal, put together a plan and implement it.

But the plan that union members despise? Bush & Co.’s systematic program to drastically weaken unions and, consequently, the labor movement’s ability to advocate for working families. Their end goal has been to remove the last line of defense – unions – against a right-wing blitzkrieg on workers’ rights, benefits, safety and retirement security. Read more...

There’s a "perfect storm" gathering that may well sweep away Republican control of the Congress this fall. It is a storm fueled by three developments:

First, profound economic trends have strained working families to the breaking point. Workers have been left out of our nation’s economic recovery -- and their disenchantment is exacerbated by the failures they see in Iraq and Washington.

Second, voters are painfully aware of these problems and pocketbook issues will be top voting issues this fall. And finally, the AFL-CIO is making the largest effort in our history in an off-year election, driving home these pocketbook issues with a huge ground campaign. Read more...

President Bush’s trade policies continue to set new records for futility.

Bush has pushed the U.S. trade deficit to historic highs. “Staying the course Read more...

The Democrats don't want to talk about their would-be agenda - and for good reason.  From undermining welfare reform to resurrecting 'Hillary-care,' a Pelosi majority would take the Education & the Workforce Committee on a sharp turn leftward.  Even more troubling is the fact that this dangerous policy shift won't be unique to our Committee, and the American people need to hear about what a Pelosi majority may have in store for them.