Nearly two months after Democrats convened the 111th Congress and began outlining their policy goals for the coming session, their decision not to introduce the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act is conspicuous, to say the least. The legislation is better known as card check, because it forces workers to vote publicly, by signing or refusing to sign their name to an authorization card, on whether t... Read more »
Labor Committee Republicans today repeated their calls for a more flexible, family-friendly workplace, particularly by eliminating barriers in federal labor law that prohibit workers and employers from agreeing to more flexible work arrangements. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), the top Republican on the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, argued that workplace flexibility, particularly voluntary policies a... Read more »
Good morning and thank you, Chairwoman Woolsey. As you have noted, we are here today for the first Subcommittee hearing of the 111th Congress. I look forward to working with you, Madame Chair, as we consider many of the important issues confronting today’s workforce. I would like to begin by thanking our distinguished panel of witnesses for appearing today. We appreciate that they have taken time ... Read more »
Apparently, even a snowstorm blanketing the eastern seaboard cannot quell editorial opposition to the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would strip workers of the freedom to vote privately, through a secret ballot, on whether to join a union. Over the weekend, editorial pages from one coast to the other added their voices to the growing chorus of opposition to the special interest car... Read more »
With American taxpayers on the hook to spend nearly $100 billion in “economic recovery” dollars on federal education programs—on top of the roughly $60 billion already spent each year—congressional Republicans are calling on the Obama Administration to cooperate with vigorous congressional oversight to protect both students and taxpayers. The Education and Labor Committee’s top Republican, Rep. Ho... Read more »
The card check union organizing method – in which workers are asked to publicly declare support for a union by signing a card, rather than privately voting through a secret ballot – has drawn widespread opposition because of its undemocratic nature. Editorial pages across the country have come out against the public sign-up process … and now, they’re questioning why special interest groups are pur... Read more »
Earlier today, the Obama Administration released a budget blueprint for FY 2010 that taxes, borrows, and spends its way into an unprecedented era of bigger, more intrusive government. Small businesses – along with the rest of the American economy – will be forced to pay the price for this government spending spree, making it more difficult to create jobs and help our economy bounce back. And this ... 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 today on President Obama’s FY 2010 Budget: “President Obama has called for bold reform and a return to fiscal responsibility. These are goals Republicans share. Unfortunately, with this budget blueprint, the rhetoric does not match the reality. From tax increases ... Read more »
Last month, we lost nearly 600,000 jobs. The number of unemployed workers grows with each day, and the need to help them find new jobs has never been greater. It has been more than a decade since federal job training initiatives have been updated. With a changing economy and growing unemployment rate, the time to renew this legislation is now. We must be committed to a dynamic, results-oriented jo... Read more »
Earlier today, top Republicans in the House and Senate introduced the Secret Ballot Protection Act, legislation that would create a firewall against the undemocratic “card check” scheme that congressional Democrats are expected to soon unveil. The Secret Ballot Protection Act would ensure that workers are always given the privacy and protections of a secret ballot in workplace organizing elections... Read more »
