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Labor
Minimum Wage
I believe the time is right for an increase in the
minimum wage. Economic research has shown that a modest,
incremental increase in the minimum wage, like the one
passed by Congress in 1996, is the best way to minimize
a wage increase's potentially adverse consequences on
employment and prices.
On March 9, 2000, I voted for H.R. 3846, which increased the
minimum wage by $1 over the course of two years. The
bill passed by 282 to 143, but was not enacted
into law. I am hopeful legislation will be introduced
this year.
Some argue that raising the minimum wage increases
unemployment and prices. This is true if the increase is
phased in too quickly. But if done properly, these
potentially adverse economic reactions can be minimized
or avoided entirely. For example, a study of fast food
restaurants in Texas after a wage increase took effect
in 1990 and 1991 concluded employment increased, while
prices were unaffected by the change.
This economic analysis points to an important dynamic
that I believe is at work: when the minimum wage is
increased, people have more of an incentive to work, and
less of an incentive to collect welfare or remain
idle.
It is clear to me that increasing the minimum wage is
a vital step toward ensuring work is more attractive
than welfare.
Pension Security Act
On April 11, I voted for H.R. 3762, the Pension Security
Act, which passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 255 to 163.
I cosponsored and voted for H.R. 3762 because it
fixes outdated federal pension laws, gives workers new
protections and freedoms to safeguard their retirement
savings, and insists on greater accountability from
company insiders.
Among its many provisions, H.R. 3762 gives employees
the right to sell company stocks and diversify into
other investment options after they have participated in
a 401(k) plan for three years. The bill also prohibits
senior corporate executives from selling company stock
during "blackout" periods when workers are unable to
change investments in their plans and require companies
to give 30-days' notice before a blackout period
begins.
Finally, H.R. 3762 encourages employers to make
investment advice available to their employees and
allows qualified financial advisors to offer investment
advice only if they agree to act solely in the interests
of the workers they advise.
Collective Bargaining Rights
I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 1475, the Public-Safety
Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, because it
guarantees minimum rights to public safety employees
while not preempting stronger state laws. The bill would
extend to firefighters and police officers the right to
discuss workplace issues with their employers.
It troubles me to know that, in many states, public
safety employees lack basic collective bargaining
rights. Firefighters and police officers take seriously
their oath to protect public safety and, as a result,
they do not engage in work stoppages or slowdowns. The
absence of collective bargaining denies these workers
any opportunity to influence the decisions that affect
their livelihoods.
H.R. 1475 recognizes public safety officers' unique
situation by creating a special collective bargaining
right outside the scope of other federal labor law. The
bill mandates that each state provide minimum collective
bargaining rights to their public safety employees in
whatever manner they choose. It outlines certain
provisions that must be included in state laws, but
leaves the major decisions to the state legislatures. It
also does not permit public safety employees the right
to strike or overturn any state's right-to-work
laws.
It is important to note that, Connecticut would not
be affected by this legislation. Connecticut already has
a system of binding arbitration for virtually all public
employees, which is more than H.R. 1475 requires.
Firefighter Assistance Grant Program
I support the Firefighter Assistance Grant Program
and believe it should remain a separate grant program,
rather than be combined with the Bush Administration's
proposed $3.5 billion first responder program.
In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, it
is critically important that we ensure our local fire
departments are adequately funded to improve staffing,
training and equipment.
While I enthusiastically support the Bush
Administration's plan to provide $3.5 billion to states
and local governments to prepare first responders to
respond to acts of terrorism, I want to ensure that our
local fire departments continue to receive direct
grants. I will oppose any efforts to merge these two
programs.
Davis-Bacon Act
The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 requires that not less
than the locally prevailing
wage be
paid to workers employed under federal construction
contracts and on many federally-assisted projects.
While there are some compelling arguments against
Davis-Bacon, I believe the law has a stabilizing
influence on the construction industry, prevents unfair
competition from low wage "fly-by-night" contractors,
provides essential protection for workers and encourages
high-quality workmanship.
I will continue to support full Davis-Bacon coverage
in school construction, water infrastructure and other
federal construction projects.
Project Labor Agreements
A project labor agreement (PLA) is an agreement
between a construction owner or main contractor and the
union(s) representing the craft workers for a particular
project that establishes the terms and conditions of
work that will apply for that project.
I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1360, which will allow
federal construction services contractors or recipients
of federal financial assistance for a construction
project to require every contractor or subcontractor on
the project to agree to negotiate or become a party to a
PLA.
I support PLAs because they have proven to be a
valuable tool on major construction projects in the
State of Connecticut. PLAs help the government control
costs, guarantee a steady stream of skilled labor and
prevent work disruptions on large public projects. They
are supported by Governors John Rowland and George
Pataki, and private sector firms routinely use PLAs to
increase productivity and keep complex projects on
schedule.
National Right to Work Act
I am not a cosponsor of H.R. 1109, the National Right to Work Act, and
will oppose this legislation if it is brought to the
floor for my consideration. In my judgment, it is
reasonable for non-union employees to compensate unions
when they represent them while negotiating wages and
benefits at the collective bargaining table.
While I support the right of workers to bargain
collectively, I support the right of states to prohibit
union security agreements through right to work laws.
The individual states know best the nature of labor
relations within their boundaries and they should have
the ability to decide if right to work laws are
necessary. As you may know, Connecticut does not
prohibit these types of security agreements. I am
comfortable with our state's position.
If the majority of employees performing the same job
agree to be represented by a union, all the employees
are required to abide by the union contract regardless
of whether they are members of the union. In other
words, employees do not have the right to negotiate a
separate contract with employers if there is a union
contact in effect.
I support exclusive representation. If individual
employees had the right to negotiate contracts outside
of the union agreement the ability of the union to
effectively represent its members would be severely
weakened. | 
