Two Pro-Worker, Pro-Business, Pro-Taxpayer Labor Bills Need House Co-Sponsorship
On February 16th, AWF sent the following letter to all members of the U.S. House urging them to co-sponsor two pieces of legislation that will save taxpayer dollars and increase employer-employee relations. The first bill is H.R. 687 Highway Trust Fund Reform Act of 2009, introduced by Rep. Foxx (R-NC) and the second is H.R. 933 Family-Friendly Workplace Act, introduced by Rep. McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).
Please call your U.S. House of Representatives members and tell them to co-sponsor these two important pieces of legislation.
Two Pro-Worker, Pro-Business, Pro-Taxpayer Labor Bills Need Your Co-Sponsorship
Dear Representative,
On behalf of the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), representing millions of working Americans and business owners nation-wide, I urge you to co-sponsor the following two pieces of legislation that will save taxpayer money and give employees additional choices in the workplace.
H.R. 687 Highway Trust Fund Reform Act of 2009. Introduced by Rep. Foxx (R-NC), this bill will save taxpayers money by repealing the Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage application for federally funded highway projects. These “prevailing wages” are determined by a survey, which is not a statistically random sample like the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) unemployment or wage surveys. Survey results indicate that the prevailing wage is both higher in some regions (up to 22% above market wages) and lower in others (as low as 68% below the market rate) than the average market wages as determined by the BLS. The result, Davis Bacon wages increase the cost of federally funded construction projects by $8.6 billion per year – a cost absorbed by the taxpayers. Contact Emily.Meeks@mail.house.gov or 5-2071 to co-sponsor and visit http://www.workerfreedom.org/davis-bacon-research for more information about exactly how much these wages hurt taxpayers and workers.
H.R. 933 Family-Friendly Workplace Act. Introduced by Rep. McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), a member of the House Education and Labor Committee and third ranking Republican on the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions; this bill removes obstacles in federal law that prevent many employers from providing increased flexibility to their employees who are covered by the overtime provisions of existing law. This Act will give employers the option of offering employees the choice of paid time off in lieu of cash wages for overtime hours worked if the employee prefers to take compensatory time instead of overtime pay. An employee is always entitled to opt for overtime cash wages. The legislation will not affect the 40-hour workweek or change the way by which overtime pay is calculated. Contact Kristin.Garesche@mail.house.gov or 5-2006 to co-sponsor or for more information.
We have seen an assault on worker freedom in the form of pro-trial lawyer, anti-business and anti-worker legislation. So far, the new administration is pandering to special interests at the expense of workers rights. This is not change that anyone can believe in. Please send a message that you stand for what is right and co-sponsor these two important pieces of labor reform legislation.
Sincerely,
Brian M. Johnson, MPA
Executive Director
