Labor
Working for the Men and Women of Alaska

I have always supported the American worker and America's great workforce -Alaskans should be paid a fair wage for a day's work. However, our national economy has continued to struggle under the weight of a global recession.  No state or small business has been immune to its affects.  As a fiscal conservative, I will continue to support which seek to lower taxes wherever possible, so that individuals and businesses can keep more of their hard-earned income to get back on their feet.  In times like these, it is our country’s resilient workforce which holds the key. 

As before in our nation’s history, American labor can and must dig our economy out of its current hole by continuing to produce the globe’s finest goods and services.  In order to give that chance to the nearly 10% of Americans who are currently out of work, I will continue to support organized labor’s efforts to negotiate and maintain adequate compensation for America’s workers.

Over 24% of all workers in Alaska are members of organized labor.  This incredibly diverse group includes countless women and men from all different cultures and creeds.  Approximately 33.6% of all Alaskan union workers have at least a college degree, 5% better than the national average.  What is most important to consider when examining Alaskan organized labor groups, however, is the improved compensation compared to the national average.  Union members earn approximately $2.40 more per hour.  Alaskan union members are 30% more likely to receive employer-provided healthcare than non-union employees.  Finally, organized labor participants are over 40% more likely to have a retirement plan than non-union workers. 

Minimum Wage
I believe that Alaskans deserve to be paid a decent hourly wage. However, increasing the minimum wage too rapidly can actually have a negative affect and reduce the demand for workers. If the minimum wage is set at an amount higher than what the community can support, it raises the costs for small business owners above what they can financially handle. They would then be forced to let employees go and as a result, unemployment would increase. The bills below illustrate how a balance between the two can be achieved.

Bills Passed by the House and Voted For

H.R. 11 – The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
This bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that unlawful employment practice occurs when discriminatory compensation is adopted and an individual becomes subject to this discriminatory practice.  Most importantly, H.R. 11 allows an aggrieved person to obtain relief.

H.R. 912 - Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act
This bill clarifies the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 with respect to the hours-of-service requirement airline flight crews must meet to be eligible for leave.  In particular, it declares that a flight attendant or flight crewmember will be considered to meet such requirement if he or she has worked or been paid for 60% of the applicable monthly guarantee, or the equivalent annualized over the preceding 12-month period.

H.Res. 150 – A. Philip Randolph Acknowledgment Award
This bill expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that A. Philip Randolph should be recognized for his lifelong leadership and work to end discrimination and secure equal employment and labor opportunities for all Americans.

Bills Cosponsored

H.R. 413 – Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2009
This bill provides collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by states or local governments.

H.R. 154 - Workers Severance Tax Reduction Act of 2009
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of individual taxpayers severance payments up to $150,000 for separation from employment due to a workforce reduction.

H.R. 914 - Physician Workforce Enhancement Act of 2009
This bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a loan program that provides loans to eligible hospitals to establish residency training programs.

H.R. 1266 - Non-Foreign AREA Act of 2009
This bill switches all federal employees over to locality pay over a three year period.  Certain provisions within this bill include residents of Alaska in this switchover.