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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 693-4650
This is a bad bill for American workers. America must close skills gaps
and open doors of opportunity for a new economy and a new century. The
administration wants to help Americans to be wage earners for a lifetime; the
House subcommittee won't even give them severance pay. That is why I am alarmed
with the bill reported out today. The House slams the door shut on meeting
these challenges, and takes a mean-spirited approach - cutting efforts to help
the neediest among us.
At precisely the time when employers complain that they cannot find
skilled workers and with pools of untapped potential workers, the House
Subcommittee wants to devastate education and training programs both for young
people struggling in poverty and for laid-off workers who don't have the skills
to start over. At the same time this bill would drastically curtail our ability
to improve the safety and health of American workers.
The House Subcommittee bill would reverse progress on many fronts:
- It would devastate efforts to help workers who are laid off from
their jobs through no fault of their own - and deny assistance to an estimated
176,000 workers;
- It would betray last year's bipartisan commitment to needy youth who
are trying to land in rewarding careers, cutting training for almost 200,000
poor, at-risk youth, defunding the Youth Opportunity Movement and eliminating
the School-to-Work initiative;
- It would severely damage the Department's ability to ensure that our
workplaces are safe, that our workers are treated fairly by employers, and that
the pensions of American families are safe and secure. Despite the fact that
there are 6 million workers hurt on the job each year, this bill singles out
OSHA for deep cuts, which would require drastic cuts in the number of
inspections of serious workplace hazards.
- It zeroes out a promising initiative to help disabled Americans find
and retain jobs.
And the Subcommittee has thrown roadblocks in the way of important new
worker protection standards. The Subcommittee proposes to:
- keep workers in the dark about why they are not getting the health
care benefits promised under their plans and how they can appeal and get a fair
answer without delay; and
- stop the Department from proceeding with important regulations that
would protect the wages of construction workers.
The House action also cuts all funding for the important initiative
proposed by the President to raise core labor standards globally, thereby
leveling the playing field for American workers. Again, just as the President
helped secure unanimous vote by the International Labor Organization this
summer on its child labor convention, raising the dialogue internationally on
core labor standards, the Subcommittee takes a step backwards. The House
Subcommittee also cuts back funding for efforts to combat child labor, ensure
equal pay and educate Americans about their pensions.
Our economy is strong. Our commitment to the workers of today and
tomorrow should be, too. America's working families deserve better.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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