Democratic Senate Challenger; member of State House
Support an Employee Free Choice Act
The Employee Free Choice Act would give workers a real choice on a level paying field when deciding whether to form a union. And it will ensure that unions can compete by imposing tougher penalties on those who break our existing labor laws.
Jeff worked to do it for public employees at the state level this year in the Oregon legislature, and helped pass a resolution urging Congress to take up the issue. But starting in January 2009, Jeff will work personally to pass it in the US Senate.
Source: Campaign website, www.jeffmerkley.com, “Issues”
Jun 3, 2008
Fight for inflation-indexed minimum and prevailing wage laws
Jeff has continually fought to increase the minimum wage and protect minimum wage increases indexed to inflation. One of the big successes of the
2007 legislative session was protecting the prevailing wage on jobs funded by the state. There’s room to expand that and Jeff looks forward to tackling the issue in the US Senate.
Source: Campaign website, www.jeffmerkley.com, “Issues”
Jun 3, 2008
Assist workers and communities get training and education
If we recognize that we can’t turn back the clock and stop globalization, we can set our sights on reasonable goals like doing more to assist workers
and communities get the training and education they need to compete in our new global economy.
Source: Campaign website, www.jeffmerkley.com, “Issues”
Jun 3, 2008
Ban discriminatory compensation; allow 2 years to sue.
Merkley signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that an unlawful employment practice occurs when:
a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted;
an individual becomes subject to the decision or practice; or
an individual is affected by application of the decision or practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid.
Allows an aggrieved person to obtain relief, including recovery of back pay, for up to two years preceding the filing of the charge, where the unlawful employment practices that have occurred during the charge filing period are similar or related to practices that occurred outside the time for filing a charge. Applies the preceding provisions to claims of compensation discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
[Note: A woman named Lilly Ledbetter filed a lawsuit for gender-based discriminatory compensation. The Supreme Court ruled that Ms. Ledbetter could only sue for damages going back 180 days, and the 180 days was calculated from the time her employment contract was initiated, i.e., her hire date. This new law changes the 180-day period to two years, and also calculates the date from the time of each paycheck, rather than the hire date. -- Ed.]
Stronger enforcement against gender-based pay discrimination.
Merkley signed Paycheck Fairness Act
A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex.
Revises the exception to the prohibition for a wage rate differential based on any other factor other than sex. Limits such factors to bona fide factors, such as education, training, or experience.
Prohibits employer retaliation for inquiring about, discussing, or disclosing the wages of the employee in response to a sex discrimination investigation.
Makes employers who violate sex discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or punitive damages.
States that any action brought to enforce the prohibition against sex discrimination may be maintained as a class action in which individuals may be joined as party plaintiffs without their written consent.
