>From Doug:
> I just visited Al Gore's website to look for evidence for the great
> friendliness to labor that Nathan seems to spy. I looked at the
> "Briefing" page, a collection of recent press releases, and saw
> nothing;
Well, then you should have avoided the search engine and just tapped the page labelled AGENDA, then looked under WORKING FAMILIES.
Here's what Gore lists as his work in these areas and his agenda. It lists striker replacement, minimum wage, family leave, expanded pensions, OSHA improvements, opposition to Right-to-Work "paycheck protection" bills, and strengthening the ILO to enforce international labor standards.
That's not the whole labor agenda but it would be a good start and is the opposite of the Shrub on these issues.
See http://www.algore2000.com/agenda/fighting_for_working_families.html
AGENDA FOR WORKING FAMILY
Supporting Increases in the Minimum Wage. Since his election to the Congress more than 20 years ago, Al Gore has supported increasing the minimum wage. He supported increases in 1977, 1988 and 1989, and as Vice President, Gore fought hard for the 1996 increase in the minimum wage that has helped more than 10 million Americans. In addition, the Vice President called on Congress to pass a $1 an hour increase to the minimum wage last year, but the Republican-led Senate defeated the measure. The Vice President is continuing to pressure Congress to pass minimum wage increase for working families this year.
Working for Pay Equity. Vice President Gore strongly supports efforts to close the pay gap between men and women. A 1998 study indicated that women, on average, earn about 75 cents for every dollar earned by a man. As part of their Fiscal Year 2000 budget, the President and Vice President called for $14 million for pay equity efforts. In addition, the Vice President has urged Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act which would allow women to sue their employer for unlimited compensatory and punitive damages in addition to back pay awards to remedy pay violations.
Supporting and Expanding Family and Medical Leave. As a Congressman and as Vice President, Al Gore has been an advocate for the Family and Medical Leave Act. The FMLA became law under the Clinton-Gore administration and covers millions of workers who have benefited from the up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a new baby or sick relative. As a U.S. Senator, in 1987, he co-sponsored an early version of the FMLA, and has supported proposals to expand the FMLA and give workers more choices when confronted with the need to work overtime or when parents need to meet their children's teachers.
Working to Preserve Social Security. Vice President Al Gore has worked closely with the President to find ways to preserve and save Social Security into the next millennium. The Administration is proposing to commit more than 60 percent of the federal budget surplus to shore-up Social Security. In addition, the President and Vice President want to increase national savings by using 11 percent of the surplus to set up Universal Savings Accounts, that would be similar to many popular 401(k) programs, to supplement Social Security. These accounts would supplement Social Security and other pension benefits.
Ensuring Adequate Pension Plans for all Workers. As a U.S. Senator, Al Gore co-sponsored the "Employee Pension Protection Act of 1989," an early pension reform bill that sought to protect and strengthen employees' pensions. Since 1994, the current Administration has successfully passed reform bills that have simplified the pension process for small businesses, expanded pension portability, and protected employee pension funds. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney stated these reforms represent "a positive step toward making the promise of retirement income a reality for all Americans."
Improving Job Training Services. In January, Vice President Gore announced a $60 million federal grant to help expand job training efforts for unemployed workers and unveiled a new federal website (www.alx.org) that allows workers to access job training and other career information quickly and easily on the Internet. These efforts build upon the Workforce Investment Act, which consolidated 60 different job training programs run by 39 federal agencies. This streamlined system of programs, based on the reinventing government principles, will make it easier for workers to get the training they need.
FIGHTING FOR WORKERS' RIGHTS
Opposing the GOP's "TEAM" Act that would have Allowed Company Unions. In 1995, Al Gore opposed Congressional Republicans' efforts to pass the Teamwork for Employees and Management (TEAM) Act, which would have permitted companies to form "company unions." Speaking at an AFL-CIO executive council meeting in February of 1995, Gore denounced the legislation and promised that the Administration would block it.
Protecting the Right of Working Families to Participate in the Political Process. Vice President Al Gore has fought hard to protect the right of unions to participate in our political process. In 1998, Gore worked with labor leaders to defeat a California ballot initiative that would have restricted the ability of unions to speak out on issues important to America's working families. In speeches across the county, the Vice President labeled this so-called "paycheck protection" measure as "paycheck deception." "We will not let any Republican gimmicks disguised as so-called campaign reform take away the right of workers to have their voice heard in the political process," Gore said. As a member of Congress, Gore opposed an earlier attempt to restrict labor's ability to participate in the political process.
Supporting the Rights of Workers to Organize. Al Gore has long been a vocal supporter of unions' and the rights of all Americans to organize. "The right to organize and bargain collectively is a fundamental American right that should never be blocked, never be stopped, and never, ever be taken away," Gore has stated. That is why he is supporting Administration efforts to create a new arm of the International Labor Organization that will work with developing counties to protect the interests of workers throughout the world.
Working to Increase Workplace Safety. Al Gore has supported efforts to make workplaces safer for all workers. As part of their fiscal 2000 budget plan, the President and Vice President are proposing to increase funding for OSHA by more than $40 million. In addition, the administration supported the Comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Reform Act sponsored by Senator Kennedy in 1993. This bill would have required employers to establish safety and health programs to reduce hazards, protect employees from injuries and illnesses and also would have created joint employee-management safety and health committees to investigate work hazards and recommend safety measures.
Opposing Efforts to Weaken Workplace Safety Laws. Vice President Gore has opposed efforts to weaken workplace safety laws, including Republican attempts to slash OSHA funding in 1995. As a member of Congress, Al Gore opposed legislation that would have eliminated certain mandatory minimum penalties for civil violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Gore also opposed an attempt to eliminate a planned increase in OSHA funding that provided expanded compliance efforts.
Supporting the President's Executive Order Opposing Striker Replacement. At an AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting in 1995, Vice President Gore announced that the Administration would issue an executive order prohibiting federal agencies from doing business with companies that replace striking workers. President Clinton issued the Executive Order on March 8, 1995. Although the Executive Order was later overturned by the DC Circuit Court, the President instructed the Justice Department to "take all appropriate steps" to have this decision reversed.
Working to Ban Striker Replacement. In 1994, Vice President Gore worked to secure passage of a bill to ban companies from replacing striking workers. At a meeting of the Communication Workers of America in Detroit, Gore stated that the administration was "pulling out all the stops to secure passage of striker replacement legislation." As a U.S. Senator, Gore also supported the Workplace Fairness Act, which would have banned the use of permanent replacements during lawful strikes.