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WASHINGTON, DC– Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-MP), and Donald Norcross (D-NJ), and U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), sent a letter asking National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member William Emanuel to clarify whether he violated federal regulations and the Trump Administration ethics pledge by participating in an eleventh-hour decision involving the “joint employer” standard. In a December vote, the NLRB weakened workers’ right to collectively bargain and shielded large corporate employers from liability. Member Emanuel participated in the vote to overturn the joint employer standard and in a separate vote to bring the joint employer case back to the Board, despite the fact that his former law firm represents one of the employers in the case.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member on the Education and the Workforce Committee, Senator Patty Murry (D-WA), ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and 122 Democrats submitted a public comment to Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta urging the Department of Labor (DOL) to withdraw its proposed change to the tip rules. DOL is considering changing existing rules to allow employers to pocket tips of workers, which could result in the loss of billions of dollars of tips for workers.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta raising questions about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) decision to reject health and safety recommendations for workers in meat and poultry plants, including ensuring workers have access to bathroom facilities. The recommendations by the independent Government Accountability Office (GAO) were made in response to interviews with workers in five states who were denied access to restrooms, which has resulted in kidney problems and other negative health effects.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05), vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), vice ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, sent a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary R. Alexander Acosta requesting the Department share any and all economic analyses they have on the effects of the tip rule. This request is in response to a Bloomberg BNA report that DOL intentionally withheld estimates that its proposed tip rule would cost workers billions of dollars in lost income.
WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 200,000 jobs in January, with the unemployment rate at 4.1 percent. “Today’s job report shows that while our economic recovery remains stable, too many working people and families are still struggling to get ahead and make ends meet. During President Obama’s last year in office, the economy added over 2 million jobs, yet during President Trump’s first year in office only roughly 1.8 million jobs were added to the economy. This is partly because under President Trump’s leadership, workers have faced a constant barrage of attacks.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after Bloomberg Law reported that the Department of Labor (DOL) withheld a legally required economic analysis for its proposed rule to allow employers to pocket tips of workers. “I am deeply troubled by allegations that the Department of Labor (DOL) may have withheld estimates that workers would lose billions in tips each year under the Department’s proposed rule. If true, this would not only reflect a departure from the normal process, but raise serious questions about the integrity of the Department’s rule making process. When an agency puts out a rule, it must demonstrate that the rule’s benefits justify its costs. I will be sending an oversight letter to the Department, requesting they share any and all economic analyses they have on the effects of the tip rule.
WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump delivered this State of the Union Address before Congress. “During President Trump’s first year in office, his administration and Congressional Republicans have subjected students and workers to a constant barrage of attacks. Under President Trump’s leadership, the administration has moved to allow employers to pocket workers’ tips, jeopardized workplace safety, and made it harder for workers to form a union or save for retirement. This administration has also prevented students saddled with debt from getting relief, removed protections that improve equity in education, and exposed victims of sexual assault and transgender students to potential discrimination and harassment. Congressional Republicans and the administration also spent the better part of a year sabotaging access to affordable health care. These actions include, denying women contraceptive coverage, pushing to undermine consumer protections for small businesses and their employees, increasing the cost of health insurance, and increasing the number of people who are uninsured.
January 29, 2018
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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, unions empower workers with the freedom to negotiate for a fair return on their work and they provide a collective voice to advocate for policies that benefit working people.
Union workers, including those in the public sector, have more access to paid leave, medical and retirement benefits, and higher pay than workers who are not unionized. Children of union members experience more upward mobility than children of workers who are not covered with union contracts, and States with higher union density have stronger workplace protections.
There is a long history of unions helping the least powerful secure dignity on the job. This is the 50th anniversary of the Memphis sanitation workers' strike in 1968. After two workers were crushed in garbage compactors, the Memphis sanitation workers peacefully protested for better pay and safer working conditions. They sought representation from the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME. They marched with placards that simply stated: ``I am a man.''
WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the nine year anniversary of the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a law that empowers workers to recover lost wages due to pay discrimination by extending the time period in which an employee can file a claim. “Last week, hundreds of thousands of women and men took to the streets to demand equal rights, including workplaces free from discrimination and harassment. As we commemorate the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act ─ a step towards equity in the workplace ─ we must also acknowledge we still have a ways to go."
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the passing of Wyatt Tee Walker: “It is with deep sadness that I note the passing of Wyatt Tee Walker. Reverend Walker, a close aide to Martin Luther King Jr., was an international advocate for equality, but he began much of his work in Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Union University, founded the Petersburg Improvement Association, and led the local chapter of the NAACP. He was one of the most prominent voices for civil rights, and his passing is a loss for the Commonwealth and the nation. I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and to anyone affected by his passing.”
Issues:Civil Rights