Senator Sherrod Brown

Jobs

Ohio is home to the most talented labor force in the world. Rich in natural resource and with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, the Buckeye state is poised to lead the way nationally in manufacturing and small business development.

For most of our history, workers’ wages have climbed as they became more productive. But since the early 1970’s, the income disparity gap has widened.

It is time to reverse that trend.

As a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, I am proud to champion efforts to improve the wages and working conditions for all Americans. Among the initiatives I am proud to support:

Increasing the Minimum Wage

I am pleased that Congress this year delivered on our commitment to give working Americans a long overdue pay increase. The Senate and House each passed bills to increase the minimum wage to $7.25 over the next two years. This is a major step in the right direction for Ohio families.

Employee Free Choice Act

I am a proud original co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would allow employees to unionize in a more streamlined way, and establish stronger penalties for violations of the rights of workers seeking to form unions. In June, more than 50 senators voted for EFCA – still shy of the 60 votes needed to ensure passage. We will propose this landmark legislation again and again until we pass it.

Pension Protection

Many Ohioans worry about their retirement security given the recent trend by some companies to cut pension benefits. We need to ensure that companies live up to their commitments and pay 100 percent of the benefits workers earn. We must also simplify rules that allow workers more flexibility in contributing to multiple accounts, and create new ways for middle class workers to save for their retirement years.

Workplace Safety

In 2005, 4.2 million workers were injured, 5,734 killed and an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 died from occupational diseases.

In Ohio, there were 57 workplace safety inspectors in 2005 – meaning it would take 103 years to inspect each workplace just once. I’m a co-sponsor of the Protecting America’s Workers Act, which reforms the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) to protect more workers and better deter workplace safety breaches.

Mine Safety

Ohio has a long history of coal mining, and today nearly 4,000 men and women work in Ohio’s coal mining industry. The 2006 MINER Act was signed into law in response to the tragic mine fatalities at Sago and Aracoma mines in West Virginia, and was the first substantive legislative effort to address mine safety in a generation. It focuses on many of the most egregious safety problems in American mines, such as post accident communications and the need for additional MSHA safety inspectors. More oversight and adjustments are needed to ensure America’s miners are protected.

Workforce Investment Act

In my travels around Ohio I have heard one businessperson after another tell me that they are having trouble finding qualified workers. Yet with so many workers being laid off in our state, I believe that we must do a better job of providing training and retraining to Ohio workers and matching those workers to jobs that need to be filled. The federal government needs to be a full partner in this effort, and I am working to strengthen Workforce Investment Act programs that help workers prepare for and obtain secure good-paying jobs in our state.