HARRISON ANNOUNCES DECLARATION OF POLICY PRINCIPLES TO SUPPORT WORKING FAMILIES, ORGANIZED LABOR, AND STRENGTHEN MIDDLE-CLASS JOB CREATION

[February 28, 2020 – Longport, New Jersey] – Last night before a packed house at  Teamsters Local 331, labor unions across Atlantic County including – AFT NJ, UNITE-HERE 54, Painters District Council 711, Ironworkers Local 399, South Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council, IATSE 917, UAW, SMWIA State Council, NALC 903, Teamsters Local 331, IBEW 351, Southern New Jersey Building Trades Council, Atlantic/Cape May Central Labor Council, UFCW Local 360, BAC New Jersey & Area District Council,  IFPTE Atlantic Council and Local 195, UA 322, IBEW 827 – united to rally their support for Brigid Callahan Harrison, Democratic candidate for the second congressional district.

Harrison, a 25-year member of American Federation of Teachers Local 1904, issued her declaration of policy principles regarding support of working families and job creation.  The following is a statement from Harrison and lists the core priorities she plans to bring to Washington after securing the party nomination and a November victory against turncoat Jeff Van Drew:

“I am inspired by the many working families who attended last night’s rally and so thankful for the great support of our local unions.  I believe that together we are creating a true movement that not only demands the removal of Donald Trump’s best buddy Jeff Van Drew, but replaces him with a person who understands that the hopes for a strong future begins with a clear vision for how our community can thrive and improve the lives of working men and women, and their children here in South Jersey.  In the short time since Van Drew has switched, he already has voted against organized labor twice.”

• I will fight against the “right to work” legislation and work to guarantee the right to unionize and bargain collectively, including in the “gig economy” sector. I will fight for gig workers to receive full employee benefits, create portable benefits that stay with workers when they switch jobs, and help displaced workers to build the next phase of their careers.

• I will work to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and index the minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index so that as the price for goods and services increases, so do wages.

• I will support requiring employers to provide employees 12 weeks of paid family leave for the birth or adoption of a child or to care for a sick family member. I will fight for all employees to receive 7 days of paid sick leave every year.

• I will support the reinstatement of the Obama administration’s overtime rule, making more workers eligible for overtime.

• I will sponsor legislation to ensure that the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act, requiring the payment of prevailing wages on federally financed or assisted construction projects, applies to all federally supported infrastructure and construction projects, including roads, bridges, and rail, energy, and clean water projects, and school construction projects, that receive federal assistance. The law assures local contractors the opportunity to compete for government projects, ensures that federal construction activity does not undercut community wage standards, and protects the government from shoddy construction performed by under-skilled and underpaid employees.

• I will advocate for the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions legislation, which creates a private loan program so that underfunded union pension plans can be set on a path to solvency without asking for additional sacrifice from active and retired workers.

• I will work to ensure that all workers who pay into Social Security, including public-sector employees, receive their full benefits.

• I will work to enact the Fair Playing Field Act of 2015 and the Payroll Fraud Prevention Act of 2015, which would close loopholes that enable businesses to misclassify employees as “independent contractors,” denying them rights and protection and undercutting businesses that properly categorize employees.