THE 111TH CONGRESS began full of optimism and hope for progress on the ambitious agenda outlined by President Obama in his inaugural speech. Unfortunately, a great deal of that optimism was quickly replaced by partisan bickering and legislative gridlock. Many of the initiatives on which the Boilermakers had hoped to achieve quick victories have fallen victim to Senate Republicans who were determined to deny the new president any legislative successes. But as the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy said, “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives.”
That is why Boilermakers from across the country will return to Washington in April for the 42nd annual LEAP conference. After a year of little progress on issues of critical importance to workers and their families, it is time to remind our elected officials what we expect them to accomplish before the gavel drops for the year. Some may note that many of the issues on the agenda for 2010 have not changed from last year. While important progress has been made on many of these initiatives, few have made it across the finish line to the president’s desk.
The Employee Free Choice Act
ONE OF THE best things we can do for workers struggling in the midst of this economic downturn is give them a voice at work and an opportunity to bargain collectively. Workers who belong to unions earn 28 percent more than nonunion workers. They are 52 percent more likely to have employer-provided health coverage, and nearly three times more likely to have guaranteed pensions. That is why Congress must stand up for fairness and pass the Employee Free Choice Act. While a lot has changed in the past year, one thing certainly has not: Our nation’s labor laws are broken and need to be fixed.
The Employee Free Choice Act would do three things to level the playing field for workers who want to join a union. First, it provides that if a majority of the employees sign union authorization cards, the company must recognize and bargain with the union. Second, it provides real penalties for companies that violate the law during organizing campaigns and first-contract negotiations. Third, the Employee Free Choice Act will ensure workers get a first contract by requiring mediation and binding arbitration if a union and employer cannot reach an agreement on a first contract within 90 days.
Our opponents have not relented in their efforts to kill labor law reform by spreading lies and distorting the truth. We must continue our efforts to educate members of Congress and ensure they understand why the Employee Free Choice Act is more essential than ever.
Health Insurance Reform
ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE, quality health care is a basic human right and a vital part of a strong economy. The Boilermakers supported the year-long effort by President Obama, the House, and the Senate to craft sensible health reform legislation. Both the House and Senate bills have many things to recommend them: No denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, no cancellation of insurance because you are “too sick,” reinsurance for pre-Medicare retirees, removal of annual and life-time limits, the creation of health insurance exchanges to make health insurance both more accessible and more affordable, and a real mandate for construction employers to provide coverage to their workers.
While we support comprehensive health care reform, we continue to seek elimination of the tax on employer-provided insurance. Union workers have sacrificed much to win — and preserve — medical insurance benefits. Real health care reform must include mechanisms for expanding coverage to all, controlling costs, and ensuring quality without jeopardizing or reducing the benefits that individuals have earned. Congress must act this year to finish what they started — too much progress has been made on this legislation to abandon it for another generation. American workers not only deserve it, they demand it.
Comprehensive Energy and Climate Change Policy
ECONOMISTS, POLICY MAKERS, business leaders, and labor leaders all agree: The country that leads the way in developing clean energy will lead the world in economic growth and national security. The race for clean energy is on, and the United States is already falling behind our competitors because our political system is paralyzed. That paralysis is costing us jobs as investors and utilities wait for a road map to a clean energy future. The time is now for Congress to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation that invests in new technology, utilizes our vast energy resources, and puts a price on carbon that will spur innovation and jobs.
Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) are spearheading an effort to craft bipartisan energy legislation that accomplishes those goals. We know that American workers have the skills and ingenuity to craft the energy solutions we need, such as carbon capture and storage at coal-fired power plants, new nuclear facilities, and energy efficiency. But many of the clean energy technology solutions will not be economically viable until the United States establishes a declining cap on emissions that will encourage innovation, technology deployment, and job opportunities.
Energy and climate change legislation adopted by one Senate committee included more than $150 billion in incentives to spur the development of advanced coal technology with carbon capture and storage (CCS) that will create thousands of job opportunities for Boilermakers. Just last year, Local 667 (Charleston, W.Va.) members helped retrofit CCS technology at American Electric Power’s Mountaineer coal-fired power plant in West Virginia — and now that facility will receive $334 million from the Department of Energy to expand its CCS capability.
We must use our voice to break the energy policy stalemate and get comprehensive legislation passed this year.
Invest in American Shipbuilding
THE UNITED STATES needs a larger, more capable power-projecting Navy to defend America’s security and economic interests. The United States naval fleet is at a 91-year low of 279 ships. The Navy fleet and our skilled shipbuilding labor force will continue to decline if shipbuilding budgets are not increased to provide for 12 new naval ships a year. This rate will provide the level of work needed to reduce the unit cost of ships and stop industry-wide job losses.
Congress should also act to end the Navy’s practice of entering into long-term lease agreements of foreign-built ships and expand the Title XI ship loan guarantee program to rebuild the aging Jones Act fleet.
The United States should have no higher priority than protecting the security of our nation and providing high-quality jobs for American workers. Our nation’s shipbuilding industry plays a critical role in both of these areas. The House has passed “Jobs for Main Street” legislation that includes $100 million for the Title XI program. The Senate must follow suit.
Legislative Note: It is likely that Congress will have already passed legislation to address our nation’s persistent jobs crisis prior to the LEAP conference. If Congress has not yet done so, the topic will be added to the conference agenda.
