Labor Issues

Congressman Moran has long been a friend of labor.  He is a strong supporter of protecting workers' rights, making the workplace safe and providing workers with competitive pay and benefits in a global economic market. 

Alexandria Mayor Euille and Vice Mayor Pepper join the Congressman at the ribbon cutting. Congressman Moran obtained a federal earmark for the Tenants’ and Workers’ Support Committee to build a new community room in Arlandria.  TWSC is a local grassroots community organization which helps low-income, low-wage workers, among others, achieve social and economic justice.

A sample of the Labor backed legislative efforts supported by Congressman Moran in the 109th Congress:

• The Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 1696), which will allow employees to freely chose whether to form unions by signing cards and authorizing union representation.  It would also provide mediation and arbitration for first contract disputes and establish stronger penalties for violations of employee rights when workers seek to form a union.   
• The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2005 (H.R. 2429), which would increase the wage from $5.15 to $5.85 dollars within 60 days of enactment. That figure would rise then to $6.55 dollars one year after the first increase; and finally to $7.25 dollars one year after that.  The minimum wage has not been increased since 1997.  The Center for Economic and Policy Research indicates that more than one-third of 25 to 54 year old workers in minimum wage jobs are still earning the same pay after three years. 
• The Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1902), which would allow employees to have seven paid days of sick leave a year to take care of themselves or their families.  H.R. 1902 would also guarantee employers the ability to track paid sick leave and mandates a GAO study on how paid sick leave policies are implemented.  Currently there is no federal law that guarantees a single day of paid sick leave to employees.
• In the 108th Congress, Congressman Moran protected American workers by voting against the new overtime eligibility rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act.  These new overtime rules proposed by the Bush administration, threatened to eliminate the overtime pay eligibility of 8 million workers. Congressman Moran also supported workers' rights by voting against measures that would exempt employees from coverage under the National Labor Relations Act and the collective bargaining rights it guarantees, as well as legislation that would have overturned OSHA standards.
• Most recently, Congressman Moran joined several of his colleagues in sending a letter to Mr. Lee Scott, President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., urging him to provide Wal-Mart's 1.3 million workers with affordable, quality health insurance.  Last year, Wal-Mart spent about $2,420 per insured employee last year when other similar corporations spent on average $6,679 dollars. 

Helpful Labor Links:

Department of Labor  The Department of Labor (DOL) fosters and promotes the welfare of the job seekers, wage earners, and retirees of the United States by improving their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers, strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements.

Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor Promotes the well being of wage-earning women, improves their working conditions, increases their efficiency, and advances their opportunities for profitable employment.

Veterans' Employment and Training Service of the Department of Labor Information and description of benefits under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  U.S. agency created in 1964 to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment and to promote programs to make equal employment opportunity a reality.

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