Throughout my career in Congress and in the State Senate, I have always been a strong, stalwart proponent of labor issues.  In 2007, the AFL-CIO awarded me a rating of 95% for my voting record in the House of Representatives, while the SEIU gave me a 100% rating.  I believe that our working men and women deserve strong support from their elected officials, and I have worked hard in my time as an elected official to represent their interests in government. Below you will find key legislation that I have supported and/or cosponsored while serving in the U.S. House of Represeentatives.

Key Legislation in the 110th Congress

∙ HR 2 – The Fair Minimum Wage Act raised the minimum wage, first to $5.85 an hour within 60 days after enactment, then to $6.55 an hour one year after those 60 days, and finally to $7.25 an hour two years after those 60 days.

∙ HR 800 – The Employee Free Choice Act amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it easier for workers to organize and enter into collective bargaining.  Additionally, it strengthens enforcement mechanisms with respect to stopping unfair labor practices. 

∙ HR 1125 – The Freedom to Fly Act raises the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots to age 65. 

∙ HR 1593 – The Second Chance Act authorizes grants for prisoner re-entry programs.  Prisoner re-entry programs help ex-offenders obtain employment, among other things, after they are released from prison.   

∙ HR 2744 – The Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act amends the Family and Medical Leave Act for the purpose of including airline flight crews under the FMLA’s protection. 

∙ HR 2831 – The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which passed the House overwhelmingly last July, amends the employment discrimination provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to clarify that an unlawful employment practice occurs when (1) a discriminatory compensation decision is made or other practice is adopted, (2) an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice, or (3) an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time compensation is paid. 

∙ HR 3652 – The Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act of 2007 amends the federal bankruptcy law so that it is more difficult for businesses to reject collective bargaining agreements, pension obligations, and employee benefits after entering bankruptcy. 

Appropriations

∙ I secured $195,000 for the City of Memphis’s Second Chance prisoner re-entry program, which helps ex-offenders with their efforts to gain employment.