[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H4586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            JANUS V. AFSCME

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, too many working families still struggle 
to pay their bills, to take care of their families, and to save for 
their kids to go to college or to take care of aging parents.
  The middle class--households with an income between 67 and 200 
percent of median income--is shrinking and income inequality is 
growing. Wage stagnation means more families will need safety net 
services like SNAP--food stamps--and housing assistance at a time when 
the majority in Congress is trying to cut those programs.
  What should we be doing?
  Consider this. Unions helped build the middle class. Unionized 
teachers, nurses, and firefighters have better access to paid holidays, 
paid sick leave, and retirement benefits, and less need for safety net 
services.
  When workers have the right to join together and have a voice in the 
workplace, it is also good for nonunion workers who benefit from those 
higher standards.
  Unfortunately, here in Congress and across the street at the Supreme 
Court, with the Janus v. AFSCME case, working families and organized 
labor are under attack.
  To grow our economy and reduce the need for safety net programs, we 
should make it easier, not harder, for workers to form unions and 
collectively bargain. Until we do, we will continue to see a shrinking 
middle class.

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