Sunday, November 19, 2006
Unions Hoping to Make Headway with Dems in Power
Although the Democrats won a fairly small majority in both the Senate and the House during these last elections, the labor movement is seeking to take advantage of the current state of affairs to push for items on its legislative agenda.
Here's a story from the AP from last week outlining some of things that the Change to Win Coalition would like to see happen in the new Congress:
Breakaway unions in the Change to Win federation said in a full-page ad in [last] Sunday's New York Times that they expect action on issues such as health care and jobs.
The ad features a picture of several workers with the message, "We're working hard to achieve the American dream. We expect Congress to do its part."
The ad specifies several areas the unions want to be priorities in the next Congress: "A paycheck that supports a family, quality affordable health care for all, a secure and dignified retirement, and freedom to join a union."
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The AFL-CIO will offer its own set of legislative priorities in the coming days.
Of course, and as the article points out, it will be very difficult to get any labor reform proposals passed in this Congress (outside perhaps the minimum wage being raised) with a President with veto power who does not share the labor movement's political vision. Hat Tip: The Raw Story PS
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/laborprof_blog/2006/11/unions_hoping_t.html