Rep. Wild Defends Vital Worker Protections in Changing Economy
WASHINGTON – Today in a House Education and Labor Committee’s Subcommittee Hearing, U.S. Representative Susan Wild (PA-07) defended preserving worker protections as the American economy changes. Wild also highlighted the importance of having an impartial National Labor Relations Board that upholds the right to bargain rather than the interests of big employers. Wild has co-sponsored legislation that protects the right to organize and collectively bargain.
“As our economy evolves, we cannot allow the rights, health, and safety of any workers to slip through the cracks,” Wild said. “With new on-demand industries, it is especially important to preserve access to health coverage, retirement plans, paid leave, workers’ compensation, and unemployment insurance for their workers. We must broaden our commitment to all workers to ensure these basic rights are at the core of all employment.”
Throughout her time in Congress, Wild has been a fierce advocate of worker and union protections, a higher minimum wage, and fair-trade policies that support and lift all workers. Last month, Wild voted to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act through the House Committee on Education and Labor. To ensure safe working conditions following recent Administration rollbacks weakening workplace reporting rules, Wild held a briefing with labor experts and led a letter to the Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta calling for the original Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses rule to be reinstated. Wild also led a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, calling for stronger protections for American workers and consumers in the U.S. – Canada – Mexico Agreement (USMCA). In June, Wild voted for and was a key supporter of the Raise the Wage Act, a proposal which would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 and give 40 million Americans, including 98,400 people in the Greater Lehigh Valley, a raise.
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