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.
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