The Wire
Freshmen Dems. putting pressure on Rangel for fast-track concessions
Freshmen Democrats are hanging tough on trade issues. They've scheduled a meeting with Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) the very powerful chair of the very powerful Ways and Means Committee According to The Hill, the freshmen Dems. want concessions from the Bush administration in the upcoming fast track authorization. These Democrats ran -- and won -- in the last election by standing strong on trade issues. And, it's good to see they are not backing down. These Democrats know they work for us:
Freshman Democrats seeking a direct role in congressional trade policy have won a meeting this week with Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.).
No freshmen sit on the prestigious Ways and Means Committee, which oversees trade policy, but class members pressed for a role in trade in a Jan. 17 letter to Rangel that said opposition to the Bush administration’s trade policies had been “vital to our electoral successes.”
A spokesman for freshman Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio), a former labor lawyer who has led the freshman efforts, said the meeting was scheduled with the hope that all 39 Democrats who signed the Jan. 17 letter would be able to attend. Spokesman Linden Zakula described the meeting as a positive step and said Sutton was optimistic it would be constructive.The meeting with the freshmen is the latest sign of the pressure Rangel is under from members of his own caucus to win concessions from the Bush administration on trade that go beyond talks on the labor provisions of pending trade deals, which have dominated the debate.
Posted by Staff on Wednesday, March 07 | 858 comments | Permalink
Freshmen Dems. putting pressure on Rangel for fast-track concessions
Freshmen Democrats are hanging tough on trade issues. They've scheduled a meeting with Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) the very powerful chair of the very powerful Ways and Means Committee According to The Hill, the freshmen Dems. want concessions from the Bush administration in the upcoming fast track authorization. These Democrats ran -- and won -- in the last election by standing strong on trade issues. And, it's good to see they are not backing down. These Democrats know they work for us:
Freshman Democrats seeking a direct role in congressional trade policy have won a meeting this week with Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.).
No freshmen sit on the prestigious Ways and Means Committee, which oversees trade policy, but class members pressed for a role in trade in a Jan. 17 letter to Rangel that said opposition to the Bush administration’s trade policies had been “vital to our electoral successes.”
A spokesman for freshman Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio), a former labor lawyer who has led the freshman efforts, said the meeting was scheduled with the hope that all 39 Democrats who signed the Jan. 17 letter would be able to attend. Spokesman Linden Zakula described the meeting as a positive step and said Sutton was optimistic it would be constructive.The meeting with the freshmen is the latest sign of the pressure Rangel is under from members of his own caucus to win concessions from the Bush administration on trade that go beyond talks on the labor provisions of pending trade deals, which have dominated the debate.
Posted by Staff on Wednesday, March 07 | 858 comments | Permalink
The Uninsured are increasingly the Middle Class
Today, The New York Times introduces us to Vicki Readling:
Ms. Readling, a 50-year-old real estate agent, is one of nearly 47 million people in America with no health insurance.
Increasingly, the problem affects middle-class people like Ms. Readling, who said she made about $60,000 last year. As an independent contractor, like many real estate agents, Ms. Readling does not receive health benefits from an employer. She tried to buy a policy in the individual insurance market, but — having had cancer — could not obtain coverage, except at a price exceeding $27,000 a year, which was more than she could pay.
“I don’t know which was worse, being told that I had cancer or finding that I could not get insurance,” Ms. Readling (pronounced RED-ling) said in an interview in her office, near the tree-lined streets and stately old homes of this city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.
It is well known that the ranks of the uninsured have been swelling; federal figures show an increase of 6.8 million since 2000.
But the surprise is that the uninsured are not necessarily the poor, the unemployed and the undocumented. Solidly middle-class people like Ms. Readling are one of the fastest growing subgroups.
Health care is a growing crisis in America. Access to affordable health care is one of our top priorities. We need to see it be a top priority for our elected officials.
Posted by Staff on Monday, March 05 | 510 comments | Permalink
A day after the House win, EFCA vote recap and many thanks to those who made it happen
Yesterday, there was a great victory in the US House of Representatives for working men and women. The passage of EFCA by a wide margin was a testament to the work of a lot of people -- especially our friends in leadership. We haven't had a vote like this in over 12 years. Elections matter. Only two Democats, David Boren from Oklahoma and Gene Taylor from Mississippi, abandoned workers. Meanwhile, thirteen Republicans voted the right way:Mike Ferguson (NJ-7) Fossella (NY-13) King (NY-3) LaTourette (OH-14) LoBiondo (NJ-2) McCotter (MI-11) McHugh (NY-23) Murphy, Tim (PA-18) Shays (CT-4) Smith, Chris (NJ-4) Walsh (NY-25) Young (AK-at large).
They deserve our thanks.
Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, led the charge to pass EFCA. His floor speech was just fantastic. This is the kind of leadership we need and deserve:
Posted by Staff on Friday, March 02 | 3362 comments | Permalink
Americans want guaranteed health insurance
The American people are worried about health care. They're not happy with Bush's performance on the issue -- and they're even willing to pay higher taxes for it according to the latest New York Times/CBS poll. Very interesting findings that should be sending a message to our elected officials. Access to affordable health care is one of the tenets of They Work for Us. We will make sure that our elected officials are working for us to attain what the American people clearly want:
A majority of Americans say the federal government should guarantee health insurance to every American, especially children, and are willing to pay higher taxes to do it, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
While the war in Iraq remains the overarching issue in the early stages of the 2008 campaign, access to affordable health care is at the top of the public’s domestic agenda, ranked far more important than immigration, cutting taxes or promoting traditional values.
Only 24 percent said they were satisfied with President Bush’s handling of the health insurance issue, despite his recent initiatives, and 62 percent said the Democrats were more likely to improve the health care system.
Americans showed a striking willingness in the poll to make tradeoffs to guarantee health insurance for all, including paying as much as $500 more in taxes a year and forgoing future tax cuts.
But the same divisions that doomed the last effort at creating universal health insurance, under the Clinton administration, are still apparent. Americans remain divided, largely along party lines, over whether the government should require everyone to participate in a national health care plan, and over whether the government would do a better job than the private insurance industry in providing coverage.
Posted by Staff on Friday, March 02 | 251 comments | Permalink
EFCA passed in the House
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007 this afternoon by a 241 - 185. Thirteen Republicans voted with the majority while only two Democrats, Rep. Boren (OK) and Rep. Taylor (MS), voted against the legislation. All three Republican amendments to weaken the bill were also defeated.Posted by Staff on Thursday, March 01 | 6597 comments | Permalink
EFCA vote today in the House
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote later today on H.R. 800, the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007. Under the House Rule (all actions on the floor of the House are governed by a "rule"
, there will be three GOP amendments, which are, of course, designed to weaken and kill EFCA.
The Bush Administration, the Chamber of Commerce and GOP leadership in the House have worked aggressively to defeat EFCA. This will be one of the first pro-worker pieces of legislation to receive a vote in the House in over 12 years.
Posted by Staff on Thursday, March 01 | 1199 comments | Permalink
Rep. George Miller (D-CA) blasts Bush’s intent to veto EFCA
The U.S. House will vote on the Employee Free Choice Act tomorrow, March 1. Today, in a Statement of Administration Policy, the Bush administration threatened to veto that legislation when it reaches his desk. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) blasted that statement from the President. Here's the entire statement:
President Bush has used his veto power sparingly since taking office, but given the radical agenda he has pursued over the last several years it should come as no surprise to anyone that he would threaten to veto much-needed legislation to help workers bargain for a better life. I would strongly urge the President to reconsider his position on the Employee Free Choice Act, because its enactment is critical to ensuring that the American economy benefits everyone.
Beyond that, it is incredible – even by the standards of this administration – how many misleading claims, half-truths, and inaccuracies are contained in the President’s Statement of Administration Policy on the Employee Free Choice Act. The Employee Free Choice Act does not eliminate workers’ ability to seek a National Labor Relations Board election if they so choose. The administration’s statement ignores the fact that penalties for unions that break the law are already far more effective than penalties for employers who break the law. The administration statement says that workers would ‘lose substantial control over their employment situation,’ when, in fact, the opposite is obviously true: by enabling workers to bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions, the legislation would them much greater control over their employment situation.
"Finally, the administration's statement ignores the fact that it is employers, not unions, who routinely harass, intimidate, fire, and reassign workers who try to form a union. In a study of a more than 60-year period, the Human Resources Policy Association listed 113 NLRB cases that they claimed involved union deception or coercion in obtaining authorization card signatures. Careful examination of those cases, however, reveals that union misconduct was found in only 42 of those 113 claimed cases. By contrast, in 2005 alone, more than 30,000 workers received back pay from employers that illegally fired or otherwise discriminated against them for their union activities.
"It is beyond me why the President and Republican leaders in Congress refuse to trust American workers to make these choices for themselves. They should rethink their opposition to the legislation. And at the very least, they should conduct this debate honestly."
Posted by Staff on Wednesday, February 28 | 2509 comments | Permalink
Despite attacks, Reps. Shuler and Boyda strongly defend EFCA support
The House will vote on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) this week. Republicans leaders and their big-business/anti-worker allies are running aggressive campaigns against freshmen Democrats including Heath Shuler (D-NC) and Nancy Boyda (D-KS) to peel away support for EFCA. It's not working:
But freshman targets defended their sponsorship, stressing the bill’s protection of worker rights.
Shuler spokesman Andy Whalen said that the congressman’s sponsorship of the bill is consistent with his campaign promises and with his background. It also stems from his opposition to the Central American Fair Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and the North American Fair Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Whalen added.
“CAFTA and NAFTA are sending our jobs overseas and leaving workers behind. The Employee Free Choice Act is designed to help workers,” he said.
Whalen added that both Shuler and his father have belonged to unions at some time.
On her part, Boyda rejected the implication that her vote was out of step with her district.
“I have never met an American that doesn’t believe in the right to organize,” she said. “We are a working-family district. I strongly believe that people have a fundamental right to organize and that right has been severely diminished.
“I think Kansans will stand behind me,” she added.
Posted by Staff on Wednesday, February 28 | 467 comments | Permalink
