Throughout his career in the Senate, Chris Dodd has worked with labor unions and American workers. He has fought for workers' rights against the assault of the current administration. American workers are the backbone of this great country, and need a President who will support them and their rights. Dodd has championed this cause in the past and will take the fight to the White House.
The Dodd Plan to Support American Workers
- Keep Workers Safe. Chris Dodd believes that protecting America's workers means ensuring that their workplaces are covered by OSHA. That is why, as President, he will promote mandatory preventive safety measures that all businesses can understand and comply with. Another part of keeping workers safe is taking care of those who are injured until they can return to work. After fighting for many years to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act, Dodd has now introduced legislation to provide paid family and medical leave.
- Help the Working Poor. Chris Dodd thinks it is disgraceful that a quarter of all jobs fail to provide enough money to support a family of four in a nation as prosperous as ours. As President, reducing poverty and increasing income equality will be top priorities for Dodd. He will increase the minimum wage to help workers support themselves and their families. He supports expanding child care incentives to ensure that parents do not have to refuse jobs because of concerns about their children's well-being. Dodd will also expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and protect and enhance shareholder rights to make sure that all Americans can share in our country's prosperity.
- Reduce Unemployment. Dodd believes that we can tackle unemployment while addressing the nation's dependency on foreign oil. His energy plan will create new jobs across the economic spectrum, in every sector of the workforce -- from manufacturing and universities, to small businesses and farms. We not only need to create and build new technologies, we need workers to test, install, repair, and maintain them. Dodd will make sure as jobs in the energy sector become available, Americans are educated and trained to fill them. Dodd's Community College for Free initiative coupled with his efforts to graduate American high school students college and workforce-ready, will ensure that America has the workers we need.
- Protect Workers' Rights. Chris Dodd is a strong supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act and will make signing it into law a top priority as President. But Dodd will not wait for Congress to act on EFCA. He will sign an Executive Oder during his first week in office to overturn the Bush administration's assault on organized labor. He wants to end unfair burdens on unions that make it difficult for them to fight for the workers they represent. Chris Dodd understands that a vibrant labor movement fighting for fair wages, worker protections, and retirement security will be key to meeting the challenges of the 21st century.
- Make Trade Agreements that Benefit American Workers. Chris Dodd believes organized labor must have a voice in the negotiation of trade agreements. It is not enough to consult with American workers after agreements have been made. Organized labor must be at the table during negotiations, in order to ensure that the interests of American workers are protected. In a Dodd administration, new agreements will include labor standards, holding overseas companies to the same rigorous standards we hold American companies to at home. Just setting standards is not enough, though. We must enforce them. Dodd would use the International Labor Organization to enforce the standards set forth in any new trade agreement.
A Longtime Commitment to American Workers
- Family Protections. Chris Dodd authored and fought for seven years to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act, which has allowed an estimated 50 million workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a new child or a sick family member. In addition, he has been a leader in the effort to ensure children receive the best child care. As the author of the Child Care and Development Block Grant, he has fought for safe, nurturing child care facilities run by qualified providers. Dodd has also been a strong supporter of increasing the minimum wage.
- Protected Collective Bargaining Rights. Chris Dodd authored the RESPECT Act, which would reverse a series of decisions from the National Labor Relations Board that unfairly expanded the definition of a "supervisor" so that many workers would be denied the right to join a union. Dodd has also cosponsored the Employee Free Choice Act, also known as the "Card Check" bill, which will remove obstacles to joining a union, such as the cumbersome election process that can be delayed by employers to intimidate or discourage workers.
- Fought to Protect American Jobs. Chris Dodd authored legislation -- the U.S. Worker Protection Act -- that sought to prevent most federal agencies from outsourcing jobs to overseas contractors. Dodd also sponsored legislation that required the Bush Administration to track and discourage the use of so-called "offset contracts" -- agreements where a foreign government purchases defense-related systems from U.S. companies, but only if those companies buy goods or services from that country.
