Committee Republicans Vote to Put Corporate Interests over Working Families

Committee Republicans Vote to Put Corporate Interests over Working Families

WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans voted to advance a series of bills that would undermine worker protections in favor of large corporations and put workers at a disadvantage when seeking justice.

"The most recent data on inflation, unemployment, and jobs show that Americans are struggling as a result of this Administration's reckless policies and priorities. As such, I would have hoped the Majority would try to advance common-sense, evidence-based initiatives to improve workers' lives and strengthen the economy. Instead … nearly all the bills we are considering tilt the scales in favor of corporate interests at the expense of workers," said Ranking Member Scott.

H.R. 1723, the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act, strips hundreds of thousands of workers employed by Indian-owned enterprises, such as casinos, hotels, and mines, of their rights to organize a union and bargain collectively under the National Labor Relations Act. This bill attempts to pit the sovereign rights of Native American tribes and the rights of workers against one another other, rather than seeking a fair and balanced approach to honoring both, which the National Labor Relations Board's current standard already accomplishes.

H.R. 2958, the Balance the Scales Act, amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to severely limit the Employee Benefits Security Administration's (EBSA) ability to communicate with attorneys representing workers or retirees in any matters brought under ERISA. This bill would put a thumb on the scales and disadvantage those workers and retirees who are seeking justice.

H.R. 2869, the EBSA Investigations Transparency Act, requires EBSA to complete an extraneous report focusing on the length of its investigations. The bill claims that EBSA's investigations take too long but ignores that the consistent underfunding of EBSA contributes to this issue and undermines its ability to protect working families. Workers rely on EBSA to protect their hard-earned health and retirement benefits, and that justice cannot always be expedited.

H.R. 2844, the Michael Enzi Voluntary Protection Program Act, expands a voluntary program that exempts certain employers from routine safety inspections. Under the program, employers are shielded from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement for any violations discovered during onsite consultations. Workers' safety cannot be optional, and voluntary programs cannot replace clear, enforceable standards and proven enforcement.

H.R. 3495, the Direct Seller and Real Estate Agent Harmonization Act, attempts to legislate the complex and evolving direct seller and real estate sector, despite no Committee hearing to examine if the application of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has disrupted this industry. By categorically excluding direct sellers and real estate agents from employment law, this bill would imperil the independence of those workers by enabling brokers and suppliers to freely exercise control over all aspects of their day-to-day work. Additionally, it does seem possible that other workers - such as those at call centers - might be inadvertently swept up by this legislation and lose their rights to decent pay and safe working conditions. This bill weakens labor protections for workers in these sectors and invites serious unintended consequences.

Read Ranking Member Scott's opening statement here.

Read letters of opposition to H.R. 1723, H.R. 2958, H.R. 2869, H.R. 2844, and H.R. 3495 here.

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