I hope everyone is enjoying Labor Day, team!
Union labor is the backbone of our country. They’re the reason we have a five-day workweek -- not seven. Collective bargaining is why employers must provide health coverage and sick leave.
But, for me, labor issues are personal. My dad was a union pipefitter welder, and his union job was a major reason why my parents were able to raise a family and send their kids to college.
That’s why standing up for hard-working Iowans in Congress is one of my top priorities -- it’s personal.
With our state still seeing rising rates of COVID-19, and as we work together to recover from the derecho, it’s more important than ever that workers know they’re respected, we ensure fair pay and safe working conditions, and their rights are protected.
I was proud to work alongside my colleagues in Congress to defend workplace rights, fair wages, and protect the right to organize.
- We stopped the roll-back of fair wage protections.
- We introduced legislation to make collective bargaining easier to ensure safe working conditions and fair wages.
- We protected workers’ pensions by passing the Butch Lewis Act.
- We passed legislation to stop the “fund swap” loophole that allows local projects to get around “Buy American” requirements.
This is just a drop in the bucket of the good work going on in the House of Representatives on behalf of working Americans.
But there’s so much more to do like promoting wage growth, reducing gender income inequality, and expanding maternity and paternity leave. We have to let all hard-working Iowans know they have our respect through our words and our actions.
This year, we especially need to give thanks and our respect to our frontline healthcare workers who have been working day and night to take care of those sick from COVID-19, and to the first responders who kept everyone safe after the derecho.
I know you’re ready to keep fighting for unions, and all our hard-working friends and neighbors, and I’m proud to have you on the team.
I thank you. My father thanks you. And countless families in Northeast Iowa thank you.
-Abby
