In the ongoing battle over the so-called Employee Free Choice Act – a bill better known as card check, because it replaces federally-supervised secret ballot elections with a public card signing process – supporters of this anti-worker plan have argued that the legislation is necessary to strengthen a flailing economy. But a new analysis from Applied Economic Strategies (AES) found that many of th... Read more »
I would like to begin by thanking our distinguished panels of witnesses for appearing today. We appreciate that they have taken time out of their busy schedules to share their expertise and experiences with us. We meet today to examine OSHA’s efforts on workplace safety. In particular, we are looking at one policy initiative, the Enhanced Enforcement Program. I look forward to hearing both from th... Read more »
After yesterday’s news that Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter has switched political parties, talk of a compromise on the anti-worker card check plan has once again taken center stage. Specter – a Senator who announced earlier this year that he opposed card check as a Republican, and repeated yesterday that he still opposes it as a Democrat – has been at the center of speculation about a possible... Read more »
The federal government should support state efforts to develop a common core of rigorous, internationally benchmarked academic standards, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. The hearing showed that momentum for stronger, state-developed standards is growing, with teachers, schools, business leaders and stakeholders from across the political spectrum voicing support. “With... Read more »
Some people in Washington seem to think that the federal government created the states to administer its far-reaching programs and policies. But that’s not the case. History tells us that the states created the federal government. Similarly, policy reform movements have a tendency to spring forth at the state and local level, where elected officials and community leaders are closest to the problem... Read more »
Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement on the FY 2010 budget resolution: “With this budget, congressional Democrats are once again taking the easy way out, opting for brazen partisanship over thoughtful policymaking. “Budget reconciliation was never intended to shield the most pressing policy issues of... Read more »
Two more states have taken steps to guarantee their citizens’ right to a secret ballot, a growing signal that state and local leaders are concerned by pending federal legislation to do away with such protections in the workplace. Legislatures in Florida and Missouri have advanced measures that would guarantee the right to a secret ballot, part of a broader movement across the country that attempts... Read more »
As the Obama Administration prepares this week to mark its 100th day in office, the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), commented on what these first 100 days have meant for students, families, workers, and retirees: “The first 100 days of the Obama Administration have brought both good and bad news for education reform and workplace... Read more »
One injury, one illness, or one death on the job is one too many. We Republicans do not defend and do not support bad employers who put their workers at risk. And I offer my sincere condolences to those families who lost a loved one this way. But instead of focusing on punishment, as we do with today’s hearing, we should also look at strategies that prevent accidents in the first place. Current he... Read more »
In what many view as a signal of its continued commitment to the unpopular card check plan, the Obama administration has announced that a high-profile advocate of the controversial measure will serve as a senior adviser to U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. The Associated Press reported on this development late last week: “President Barack Obama has appointed a key union activist as senior advis... Read more »
