U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
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Fact Sheet - Supporting Working Wisconsinites

February 16, 2007

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold supports a wide range of efforts to improve conditions for working families in Wisconsin. Earlier this year, he voted to increase the federal minimum wage and has backed a number of initiatives to support Wisconsin’s workers, including:

The Healthy Families Act would:

  • Apply to employers of 15 or more employees.

  • Require that employers provide a minimum paid sick leave of seven days annually for employees working 30 hours per week and a prorated annual amount for employees working between 20-30 hours per week.

  • Allow employees to use such sick leave for their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members.

  • Require that employers post notice of availability of paid sick leave and how to file an enforcement action for denial of sick leave.

  • Allow an employee or the Secretary of Labor to enforce the rights granted in the legislation in federal or state court.

  • Require a GAO study of how these paid sick leave policies are implemented.

The Fair Pay Act would:

  • Amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to require that employers base wages on the following: skills, effort, responsibility, and working conditions.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would:

  • Amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to make firms that violate the Equal Pay Act liable for compensatory and punitive damages.

  • Amend the Civil Rights Act to have the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission require employers to provide additional data deemed necessary for enhanced enforcement of pay discrimination laws.

  • Require the Department of Labor to develop voluntary guidelines enabling firms to compare different jobs based on objective criteria to determine if workers in female and male dominated occupations are being fairly compensated and to create a recognition program for employers who adjust their pay systems in light of job evaluations.

  • Require the Secretaries of Education and Labor to establish and carry out a competitive grant program to award grants to state, local, or community entities to provide negotiation skills training programs for girls and women to teach skills including those for negotiating for higher salaries, better benefits, and promotes during their careers. This section also would require the Secretaries to integrate negotiation skills and training into appropriate education and labor programs (such as Perkins, WIA, and NCLB). This section also requires an annual report on this program.

  • Direct the Bureau of Labor Statistics to continue collecting data on women workers in the Current Employment Statistics survey.

The Employee Free Choice Act would:

  • Require the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union if a majority of employees in a bargaining unit sign authorization cards designating the union as their bargaining representative, called a card check. This allows workers to vote privately, for or against union membership and representation, lessening the pressure from employers and other employees.

  • Establish procedures for reaching an initial contract agreement. If a union and employer cannot reach an agreement within 90 days, either party could request mediation by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). Disputes that cannot be settled through mediation would be subject to binding arbitration.