The Subcommittee meets to mark up two bills this morning. This is truly a rare occasion – in fact, it’s the first subcommittee markup we’ve held since the beginning of the 110th Congress. Since we do have a number of items on the agenda, I will keep my remarks brief this morning. As I indicated, we are addressing two bills, both of which relate to the regulation of our nation’s 401(k) system. The ... Read more »
America is a nation founded on freedom, but Alaska National Guard Staff Sergeant Phillip Newton sees some of those basic freedoms eroding under the so-called Employee Free Choice Act, now pending in Congress: "When I joined the U.S. military, I did so because I wanted to protect the freedoms we take for granted — the freedom to vote, to find a job to support a family, to speak freely, and to do th... Read more »
I am pleased the Committee is exploring the timely issue of how technology is transforming our nation’s public schools. More often, people are using different technologies to gather and disseminate information. I believe that in today’s technologically-driven world, states and school districts throughout the country have the opportunity to use these new technologies to improve academic achievement... Read more »
Workers worried about their right to privacy in choosing to unionize or their right to vote on a contract may have breathed a collective sigh of relief over the weekend when a Democratic Senator pronounced the controversial card check plan “dead.” Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), one of a handful of Senate Democrats who have balked at a plan that detractors view as an assault on workers’ rights and econ... Read more »
Ever wonder what workplace life might look like under the so-called Employee Free Choice Act? The prospect is contemplated in an essay that appeared this week in the Central Maine Morning Sentinel: “Under EFCA, each signature is a public vote and the only vote, conducted in the open, with the full view and knowledge of their fellow workers, management and the union organizers. “Imagine for a momen... Read more »
From the moment the 111th Congress was gaveled into session, the controversial card check scheme has been a vexing problem for congressional Democrats. Special interests have demanded passage of the legislation as political payback, yet the American people remain firmly opposed to its infringement on basic worker rights. With support eroding among members of both political parties, the backers of ... Read more »
With an additional 345,000 Americans out of work last month and unemployment reaching its highest level in more than a quarter-century, congressional Democrats are contemplating a pair of proposals that will drive up costs for employers and taxpayers and erode job creation at a time when it is needed most. Republicans led by Rep. Tom Price, M.D. (R-GA) voiced these concerns during a hearing today ... Read more »
I would like to begin by thanking our distinguished panel 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. Today’s hearing provides Members of this Subcommittee with an opportunity to discuss the Family and Medical Leave Act and a couple legislative proposals aimed at promoting “healthy families.... Read more »
If card check can’t win in Pennsylvania, where can it? It seems the citizens of the labor-friendly Keystone State are not crazy about the card check scheme, which would impose public sign-up for unionization and limit workers’ and employers’ ability to negotiate contracts and work rules. A new poll finds that Pennsylvanians oppose the measure, also known as the Employee Free Choice Act, by a 55-29... Read more »
Led by Rep. John Kline (R-MN), Republicans on the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee today strongly rejected calls for a government-controlled single payer health care system, one of the most radical proposals on the table as Democrats craft their partisan health overhaul. Just days before Democrats are reportedly preparing to unveil their plan to reshape how Americans receive me... Read more »
