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Mike Gravel on Jobs
Libertarian for President; Former Dem. Senator (AK); withdrew from Presidential primary July 2019
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Right to Own: employees can buy out companies that close
Job insecurity is a terrifying thing, and our economic system mandates that businesses shut down their stores, lay off their employees, and close their offices in a never-ending cycle of feast and famine. But while businesses come and go, people's
livelihoods don't have to. Based on the U.K. Labor Party's policy of the same name, the Right to Own would be a policy of employees being the first to be able to buy out a company when it's going under or being sold.
They have the right of first refusal: whether it's being bought by another company or going out of business, the employees will be able to buy out their workplace and ensure that they get to control their own business, income, life, and livelihood.
The United States should institute a policy of the Right to Own, ensuring that, when a company is being sold or is going out of business, the first group that has the chance to buy out the business's assets and IP are the workers themselves.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeGravel.com
, Apr 9, 2019
Communists helped unions end child labor & set 8-hr workday
The Communist Party had been involved in organizing major labor unions since its inception in 1919. Let me say it: the pressure exerted by these unions ended child labor and won the eight-hour work day. But the Smith Act of 1940, signed by
FDR, made it illegal to advocate the violent overthrow of the government. That gave the unions authority to purge Communists from their ranks, making Communism pretty much a spent force in America.
In addition, American workers bought into the explosion of consumerism, not Communism, as the way to improve their lives in post-war America.
McCarthy’s hysteria was based largely on his own lust for power and notoriety, as he exploited television as a new factor in American politics. He also exploited the fear that spread with the Soviet’s explosion of a nuclear device in 1949.
Source: A Political Odyssey, by Mike Gravel, p.106
, May 2, 2008
Support unionization; raise federal minimum wage
Gravel supports the following principles regarding jobs:- Increase funding for national job-training programs that retrain displaced workers or teach skills needed in today’s job market.
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Increase the federal minimum wage.
- Support the right of workers to unionize.
Source: Presidential Election 2008 Political Courage Test
, Apr 22, 2008
Claims 100% rating with AFL-CIO for full legislative career
Former Sen. Gravel was the only Democratic presidential candidate who didn’t appear at the forum. The AFL CIO didn’t invite him because he failed to return its questionnaire on time, which was distributed to all Democratic and Republican candidates.
According to CNN.com, Gravel said, “It’s our mistake, but they are using our mistake to deny me an appearance before the AFL CIO group and I had a 100 percent voting record for twelve years as senator and four years in the state legislature.”
Source: FactCheck on 2007 AFL-CIO Democratic primary forum
, Aug 7, 2007
Minimum wage as president OK, but we need living wage
Q: If you’re elected to serve as president, would you be willing to do this service for the next four years and be paid the national minimum wage of $7.25 per hour?GRAVEL: Oh, yes, I would, but I would say that we don’t need a minimum wage; we need a
living wage. We don’t have that in this country because of what they passed.
DODD: I don’t think I could live on the minimum wage, but I’m a strong advocate to seeing to it that we increase it at least to $9 or $10.
EDWARDS: Yes.
CLINTON: Sure.
OBAMA: We could afford to do it for a few years. Most folks can’t. And that’s why we’ve got to fight and advocate for [an increase].
Q: Would you serve at minimum wage?
RICHARDSON: Yes, I would.
BIDEN: I couldn’t afford to stay in the Congress
for the minimum wage. But if I get a second job, I’d do it.
KUCINICH: I think we need to increase the minimum wage and so all my neighbors can get an increase in their wages.
Q: So would you work for it?
KUCINICH: I would. But I wouldn’t want to.
Source: [X-ref Clinton] 2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate
, Jul 23, 2007
Citizens Wage: individuals share in nation’s total affluence
For a nation supposedly devoted to the ideas of democracy, it is a curious fact that the most important aspect of daily life in America--the aspect of work--is almost totally removed from any association with democracy.The question a people’s platform
must address is how every American can participate in the economy and obtain from it the basic financial security which is their share of this material affluence. I believe it should be done through a Citizen’s Wage, to which everyone is entitled
at birth and which is available to the worker and the poor alike. The Citizen’s Wage should be seen as a dividend from the nation’s total affluence and as a reflection of each person’s right to economic security. The amount paid to the individual should
be geared realistically to the level of income needed to maintain a minimum, decent standard of living. The Citizen’s Wage should also become an effective tool for the long-run economic improvement of our entire society.
Source: Citizen Power, by Sen. Mike Gravel, p. 91-93
, Jan 1, 1972
Sponsored bill helping employees buy closing businesses.
Gravel sponsored helping employees buy businesses that are closing or moving
OnTheIssues.org EXPLANATION: Provides federal loan guarantees for Employee Stock Ownership Plans for businesses where the business is moving away or going bankrupt.
OFFICIAL CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: A bill to preserve jobs and stabilize communities by facilitating employee or employee-community ownership of concerns that would otherwise close down, move out of the community or be sold by existing owners to unrelated outside interests, and to promote broadened stock ownership of such concerns through employee stock ownership plans, general stock ownership plans, and other broadened ownership plans.
EXCERPTS FROM BILL:
Job Preservation and Community Stabilization Act:- Directs the Secretary of Commerce to identify those business organizations which are in danger of ceasing operation and whose closing or relocation would result in substantial unemployment and economic dislocation in the community.
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Directs the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to provide loans for technical assistance and loan guarantees for startup and operating costs to a employee-community corporation in order that it may assume ownership and operation of an organization so identified.
- Conditions loans upon allowing new employees to participate in acquisition of stock, and making it available to all employees on a nondiscriminatory basis.
- Permits such organizations to adopt any ownership form they choose, provided that: (1) all employees of the concern will be offered an opportunity to participate in the ownership plan; and (2) employees subject to a collective bargaining agreement will be included in such an offering, unless the representing union waives uch participation.
- Provides for nondiscrimination in the programs funded by this Act.
Source: Voluntary Broadened Stock Ownership Act (S.1058) 79-S1058 on May 2, 1979
Page last updated: Dec 15, 2019