Brian comes from a hardworking family and a working class neighborhood, and is a leading voice in Congress in calling for faster job creation, fair wages, workplace safety, and stronger pension plans. He is strongly committed to the right of working Americans to band together to petition their employer for better wages, hours, and working conditions.
Brian is fighting to prevent the layoffs that have beset the auto industry from spreading to Western New York. In December Brian co-hosted an “e-hearing” which collected testimony from auto workers across the country regarding the impact of the GM Layoffs and Delphi bankruptcy on their lives. Their stories will be used to draw attention to the problem and to compel Congress to act to forestall further layoffs.
Brian also believes that no American who works full time should have to live in poverty. That’s why Brian is a cosponsor of legislation to increase the federal minimum wage from $5.15 and hour to $7.25 an hour. Brian also helped lead the fight to reverse the President’s decision to suspend Davis-Bacon wage protections, which require federal contractors to pay the local prevailing wage to workers on construction projects, for Katrina recovery projects. Additionally, Brian believes that fair labor standards must be a part of any trade agreement the U.S. enters into.
Caucuses
Brian is a member of the following labor caucuses:
Letters
Brian has signed on in support of the following labor-related letters:
- November 2005 – Layoffs
To: Northwest Airlines
Purpose: Urging Northwest Airlines not to outsource flight attendants.
- May 2005 – Healthcare
To: Wal-Mart
Purpose: As the nation’s second largest employer—only the federal government is larger—challenges Wal-Mart to help reverse the devastating trends in the number of uninsured by meeting its moral obligation to cover as many employees as possible.
- May 2005 – Gender Discrimination
To: Wal-Mart
Purpose: To hold Wal-Mart accountable for its discriminatory practices in pay equity for women.
- February 2005 – Right to Organize
To: Walmart
Purpose: Urging WalMart executives to reconsider their decision to close a store in Quebec when workers were granted the right to organize.
- January 2005 – Bethlehem Steel
To: Department of Labor Office of Workers Compensation Programs
Purpose: Urging the Department of Labor Office of Workers Compensation Programs to give coverage to more Bethlehem Steel Employees.
