Job Creation, Labor and the Economy
Michigan Agenda
- Nothing is more important to Michigan or the nation that spurring job creation and continued economic recovery.
- A key to that recovery is support of the manufacturing sector and the move to next-generation technologies in energy, transportation and other sectors.
- A strong economy and strong support for working families, including collective bargaining rights and worker safety, go hand-in-hand.
The most urgent challenge for the 112th Congress is to help restore the jobs that were lost in the recession. I supported the steps taken in 2008 and 2009 to prevent a depression and begin our economic recovery, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; federal assistance for the restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler; the HIRE Act and Small Business Jobs and Credit Act; and emergency unemployment benefits.
I will continue to search for ways to support our economic recovery. That means support for manufacturing, which is the heart of the Michigan economy and crucial to the strength of the national economy. I believe that continued federal support for development of next-generation energy technologies is important not just for the environment, but for creation of new and long-lasting jobs.
I also believe the tax code should be changed to end incentives for companies to move jobs overseas and to encourage job creation in the United States.
A dynamic and growing economy is fully compatible with fair wages, worker safety and collective bargaining rights. I am concerned that incomes at the top of the U.S. economy have grown rapidly while the earnings of working families have stagnated. I am an original cosponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would protect the rights of employees to bargain collectively and is in keeping with the positive historic role organized labor has played in raising living standards for working families.
And as a senior member of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, I support the important role small businesses play in creating jobs and growing the economy, and will work to give them the tools they need to succeed.
Related Issues
Senator Levin’s Record on Job Creation, Labor and the Economy
- Feb. 7, 2012 – Sens. Levin, Conrad introduce CUT Loopholes Act
Sen. Levin and Sen. Kent Conrad introduce the Cut Unjustified Tax Loopholes Act, which would close a number of tax loopholes that increase the deficit and the tax burden carried by middle-class Americans by allowing individuals and corporations to dodge the taxes they owe.
- April 13, 2012 – Sen. Levin fights oil speculation, high gas prices
Sen. Levin is one of 19 U.S. senators who file an amicus brief in federal court to support commodities regulators in establishing trading limits on speculators who contribute to the volatility in oil and gas prices.
- March 27, 2012 – Sens. Levin, Kirk outline Great Lakes protection programs
In letters to Senate Appropriations Committee members, Sen. Levin and Sen. Mark Kirk, co-chairs of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, urge support for programs important to the Great Lakes, including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and efforts to stop Asian carp and other invasive species.
- March 26, 2012 – Levin, McCain release GAO report on fake parts from China
Sen. Levin and Sen. John McCain, the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, release a report from the Government Accountability Office showing that China is refusing to shut down the flow of counterfeit electronic parts that endangers U.S. national security, the safety of troops and U.S. jobs.
View more of Senator Levin’s work on Job Creation, Labor and the Economy »
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