Workforce Protections Subcommittee
The House Workforce Protections Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Thursday, June 11 to examine proposals for expanding workers’ access to paid family and sick leave. While more than 80 percent of Americans support having paid sick days, the U.S. is the only country among the 22 nations ranked high in economic and human development that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave to workers.
The FIRST Act, H.R. 2339, provides grants to the states to implement and improve their paid family leave programs. Healthy Families Act, H.R. 2460, mandates that businesses with 15 or more employees provide up to 7 days of paid sick days to their employees.
Archived Webcast »
The FIRST Act, H.R. 2339, provides grants to the states to implement and improve their paid family leave programs. Healthy Families Act, H.R. 2460, mandates that businesses with 15 or more employees provide up to 7 days of paid sick days to their employees.
Witnesses:
- U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) »
- U.S. Representative Alan Grayson (D-FL) »
- Rajiv Bhatia » Director Occupational and Environmental Health Department of Public Health San Francisco, CA
- China Miner Gorman » Chief Operating Officer Society for Human Resource Managers Alexandria, VA
- Deborah Frett » CEO BPW Foundation Washington, DC
- Hon. Victoria A. Lipnic, Esq. » U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Debra Ness » President National Partnership for Women Washington, DC
- Sandra Poole » Deputy Director California Employment Development Department Disability Insurance Branch
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The Workforce Protections Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on Thursday, April 30 on the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Enhanced Enforcement Program.
The Enhanced Enforcement Program identifies high risk employers by their past behavior and targets them for additional scrutiny. However, the U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General’s Office issued a report on April 1 that found the Bush administration did not properly enforce worker health and safety laws used to oversee employers with history of safety violations. It shows that over the last five years, since the program was established, the EEP has failed to effectively deter employers from putting workers’ lives at risk.
Archived Webcast »
The Enhanced Enforcement Program identifies high risk employers by their past behavior and targets them for additional scrutiny. However, the U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General’s Office issued a report on April 1 that found the Bush administration did not properly enforce worker health and safety laws used to oversee employers with history of safety violations. It shows that over the last five years, since the program was established, the EEP has failed to effectively deter employers from putting workers’ lives at risk.
Witnesses:
- Jordan Barab » Acting Assistant Labor Secretary Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Eric Frumin » Director of Health and Safety Change to Win
- Elliot Lewis » Assistant Inspector General for Audits U.S. Department of Labor
- Jesus Royas, stepson of Raul Figueroa, » a worker who was crushed to death as a result of unsafe working conditions West Palm Beach, Fla.
- Jason Schwartz » Partner Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
On Tuesday, March 31, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections of the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing to examine green jobs and their role in our nation’s economic recovery. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act set aside $50 billion in grants and tax incentives to promote energy efficiency and the renewable energy sector. Congress also approved the Green Jobs Act in 2007, a program to help train American workers for jobs in the renewable energy and energy-efficiency industries.
Archived Webcast »
Witnesses:
- William T. Bogart » Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Economics York College York, Pa.
- Kathy Krepcio » Executive Director John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University
- Jerome Ringo » President The Apollo Alliance San Francisco
- Robin Roy » Vice President for Projects and Policy Serious Materials Sunnyvale, Calif.
- Jill Sherman » Gerding Edlen Development Portland, Ore.
- Clinton R. Wolfe » Executive Director Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness Aiken, South Carolina
The hearing will explore how family-friendly policies, such as grants to support state paid leave programs, paid leave, expansions to the Family and Medical Leave Act, and paid sick days make sound economic sense not only in good times, but during recessionary times as well.
Archived Webcast »
Witnesses:
- Eileen Appelbaum » Director of the Center for Women and Work Rutgers University
- Michelle Bernard » President and CEO Independent Women’s Forum
- Heather Boushey » Senior Economist Center for American Progress Action Fund
- Rebia Mixon Clay » Home Health Care Worker Chicago
This hearing examined 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.
Archived Webcast »
Witnesses:
- Norma Flores » Former child worker Chicago
- Sally Greenberg » Co-Chair Child Labor Coalition
- Alexander Passantino » Acting Wage and Hour Administrator U.S. Department of Labor
- David Strauss » Executive Director Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs