Labor and Working Families

As Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus, which includes 87 Members of Congress, Congressman Lynch believes that all employees have the right to a safe workplace and a decent wage so Americans can provide for themselves and their families. Congressman Lynch believes that our government has a fundamental obligation to ensure that all Americans enjoy a decent standard of living.

Equal Pay

Early in the 111th Congress, Congressmen Lynch cosponsored and ultimately voted to support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which President Obama signed into law on January 27, 2009 – the first bill signing of his presidency. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 superseded a United States Supreme Court decision (Lily Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company) which held that "a new violation does not occur, and a new charging period does not commence, upon the occurrence of subsequent nondiscriminatory acts that entail adverse effects resulting from the past discrimination." The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 amends Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to clarify that the time limit for suing employers for pay discrimination begins each time they issue a paycheck and is not limited to the original discriminatory action. This change applies not only to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, but also to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The Right to Organize

In March 2007 Congressman Lynch and his colleagues in Congress won a significant battle with the passage of a bill that provides employees the right to organize. Initially introduced in November 2003, the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007 (H.R. 800), allows employees to freely organize and form a unified voice with their coworkers. In the past, employers have utilized forms of intimidation to prevent employees from expressing their true beliefs on whether they would like to form a union. It has been more than three years since Congressman Lynch urged his colleagues to support this important piece of legislation, and its passage continues to meet with resistance. As a former Ironworker and current union member, Congressman Lynch remains committed to the goal of providing employees with the right to join together and bargain on their own behalf.

National Labor Relations Board Decisions

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is administered and enforced by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which is an independent federal agency consisting of a five-member Board and a General Counsel. The Board resolves objections and challenges to secret ballot elections. It also hears appeals of unfair labor practices and resolves questions about the composition of bargaining units. The General Counsel conducts secret ballot elections, investigates complaints of unfair labor practices, and supervises the NLRB's regional and other field offices.
For much of the 111th Congress, because of parliamentary tactics employed by Senate Republicans, the Board has operated with only two of five seats occupied, grid locking the process and leaving critical labor disputes unresolved. The Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus sent a joint letter to President Obama urging him to make recess appointments to these important seats. On March 27, 2010, President Obama appointed Craig Becker and Mark Pearce to the National Labor Relations Board. The President’s action gives the Board a quorum to clear a backlog of more than 210 cases. The recess appointments mean the Board members could serve in their jobs through the end of 2011, when the next Senate finishes its term.

Prevailing Wage

Throughout his tenure in the House of Representatives, Congressman Lynch has worked to ensure that prevailing wage rates be paid to employees working on federally-funded or assisted construction projects. In September 2005, the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus sent a joint letter condemning President Bush's rescission of the Davis-Bacon Act in Gulf Coast areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina, requesting an immediate reversal of the decision. Bush's executive order allowed federal contractors rebuilding in the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged areas of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi to pay workers at rates below the prevailing wage. Thankfully, after much public pressure and scrutiny, the President rescinded his order in October of 2005.