Welcome to the EdLabor Insider e-newsletter! In this issue:
House Sends ADA Amendments Act to White House
The House gave final approval on September 17 for legislation to stop discrimination against individuals with disabilities by restoring the original intent of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act -- the world’s first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities. The House passed the ADA Amendments Act by voice vote to overturn the erroneous U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have eroded protections for people with disabilities. These four Supreme Court decisions have narrowed the definition of disability so much that people with serious conditions such as epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, cancer, diabetes, and cerebral palsy have been determined to not meet the definition of disability. More »
Last-Minute Secret Labor Department Proposal Will Harm Workers, Witnesses Say
A last-minute Department of Labor proposal could undermine future health and safety protections for American workers, witnesses told the Workforce Protections Subcommittee on September 17. The Washington Post recently reported that the proposal was developed by political appointees in secret with little consultation with career agency health and safety experts. The proposal only gives 30 days for comment and provides for no public hearings. Critics say that the Department of Labor proposal would add additional layers of red tape to an already slow regulatory process, even for those initiatives being considered. In July, Chairman Miller proposed legislation (H.R. 6660) to forbid the Department of Labor from issuing, administering or enforcing the department’s proposal.
Chairman Miller Says Colombia Must Improve Investigations and Prosecutions of Labor Killings
Chairman Miller sent a letter on September 12 to Colombia’s President Álvaro Uribe, asking his government to address concerns that Colombia has failed to adequately address the nearly 2,700 murders of labor union leaders in his country. According to the Escuela Nacional Sindical, an independent Colombian think-tank, nearly 2,700 Colombian union leaders or union members have been murdered since 1986. The overwhelming majority of these killings remain uninvestigated by the Colombian Attorney General’s Office. In addition, ENS statistics show that so far this year, more union leaders have been assassinated than during all of 2007. Chairman Miller traveled to Bogotá earlier this year to meet with Colombian government officials, judges, prosecutors, human rights advocates and labor union leaders. Since then the committee’s staff have continued to conduct additional fact-finding on Colombia’s efforts to improve its judicial system and the need for further labor law reforms.
Upcoming Hearings: Child Labor Enforcement and Retiree Health Benefits
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Workforce Protections Subcommittee
Hearing on "Child Labor Enforcement: Are We Adequately Protecting our Children?," scheduled at 11:00 a.m. in room 2175 Rayburn H.O.B. Witnesses to be announced.
This hearing will examine whether the Department of Labor is doing enough to enforce U.S. child labor laws and will explore the impact of child labor on families.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Full Committee
Hearing on "Safeguarding Retiree Health Benefits," scheduled at 10:00 a.m. in room 2175 Rayburn H.O.B. Witnesses to be announced.
This hearing will explore options to safeguard promised retiree health benefits. With insurance premiums skyrocketing and companies looking to cut expenses, an increasing number of companies have been rolling back or eliminating promised retiree health benefits.
Please check the Committee's schedule page for potential updates »
