[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 13230-13237]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS--AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE LABOR 
                                MOVEMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Weber of Texas). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 3, 2013, the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Jeffries) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority 
leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
be given 5 days to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.

[[Page 13231]]


  Mr. JEFFRIES. It is an honor and a privilege, Mr. Speaker, to once 
again have this opportunity to stand here on the floor of the House of 
Representatives and to anchor the CBC Special Order where, for the next 
60 minutes, members of the Congressional Black Caucus have an 
opportunity to speak directly to the American people on an issue of 
great significance to us, which is the future of the organized labor 
movement and how that relates to the economic viability of the African 
American community and to America as a whole.
  Now, today, we've all just returned from the August recess. We are 
here back at the Capitol, and of course we're in the midst of a very 
robust period of deliberation as it relates to the administration's 
request for us to grant authorization for this country to strike 
militarily against Syria for what appears to be the use of chemical 
weapons, which is in violation of international law, against the Syrian 
people. That debate will play itself out over the next few days and, 
perhaps, even the next few weeks; but while we undertake that solemn 
obligation to make the best decision for this country and for our 
constituents as it relates to such a critical issue of war and peace 
and possible military engagement, we also have a similar responsibility 
to deal with the domestic issues that continue to impact our 
constituents as well as the American people.
  We know that we are still in the midst of a very sluggish economic 
recovery and that the American worker has fallen behind relative to the 
position that that worker was in coming out of World War II and through 
the sixties and the seventies, into the eighties and the nineties. This 
is a matter of urgent concern to the members of the Congressional Black 
Caucus, and it should be a matter of urgent concern to everyone who is 
a Member of this august body. Part of the deterioration of the American 
worker, I believe, empirically can be shown to be directly related to 
the deterioration of unionized membership here in this great country. 
So we will explore those topics.
  We are a week removed from the Labor Day celebration, and we are also 
a few weeks removed from the 50th anniversary of the March on 
Washington, a march that was projected as one both for jobs and for 
freedom. We often focus on the civil rights aspect of the march--and it 
produced some tremendous pieces of legislation--but the March on 
Washington was also about jobs and economic opportunity, and it was put 
together with the significant assistance of the organized labor 
movement here in America.
  I've been joined by several distinguished colleagues, Members of the 
House of Representatives, but also of members of the class of 2012--
this wonderful freshman class. I believe the first speaker will be the 
distinguished gentleman--my good friend from the other side of the 
Hudson River, the always nattily dressed--Representative Donald Payne, 
Jr.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from New 
York for that kind introduction and for his consistent leadership on 
the CBC's Special Order hours. Tonight's topic is ``African Americans 
and the Labor Movement.'' It is an American story.
  Historically, union members have played a critical role in the civil 
rights struggles of the past, and the involvement continues today. When 
Dr. Martin Luther King was jailed for civil disobedience, it was unions 
and union members who came to the legal and financial aid of Dr. King. 
African American workers have played a pivotal role in strengthening 
our unions and our economy. The path to the middle class for African 
Americans has always been through union jobs. What we see is an erosion 
of that dream. People's ways of life--what they're used to, the levels 
at which they're used to living--are eroding. It is because there is an 
attack on organized labor in this country, for there are forces within 
this Nation that are eroding the quality of life for hundreds and 
thousands of Americans throughout this Nation.
  So I am really here to say and to point out to this august body that 
labor has been the pathway for many Americans--not just for African 
Americans, but for people of all walks of life--to live the American 
Dream. To own a home, to feed their children, to send them to school, 
to take care of their parents, to have health care, job security has 
all been through labor. We stand here today and count the countless 
number of times that the labor movement has been there for us in 
America. This is a kinship that you can expect from a fellow union 
member.
  I have been in two unions in my lifetime. Yes, I'm a Member of 
Congress today, but there have been times in my life during which I've 
worked hourly jobs, and it was because of the unions I was able to get 
a living wage and have the resources to raise my family. So I don't 
come to you, preaching to you, not knowing how it is to have to get up 
every morning and punch a clock and look for overtime and hope that you 
can get it in order to increase the wages that you bring home. The 
reasons to support unions are clear. Union workers are more likely to 
have health insurance and are more likely to have pension plans. 
Receiving this preventative care now helps lower health care costs 
later.
  Let me also say something about the Affordable Care Act at this point 
in time. It is a great piece of legislation. It will go down in history 
just as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid have changed this 
country, because I can see the goal line. It's going to take some time 
to get there, and, yes, it will have to be tweaked and looked at and 
changed in some areas; but it is a monumental piece of legislation that 
is going to change health care in this Nation for millions of people 
who have never had health care. To my fellow Americans, that lowers the 
costs for all of you, because you pay for people who do not have health 
care.

                              {time}  2045

  So now you will have millions of Americans paying into their own 
system which lowers the cost for you.
  Today, labor unions are still at the forefront of improving equality 
in the workplace. Right now in New Jersey, we're fighting to raise the 
minimum wage. Despite overwhelming support by the people of New Jersey, 
the Governor of New Jersey vetoed a bill that would have raised the 
minimum wage to $8.25. But our workers will not be deterred. This 
November, New Jerseyans will have the chance to right that ship at the 
ballot box and raise the minimum wage for millions of workers.
  In Jersey City, the second largest city in the State, in my district, 
it is expected the city will require paid sick leave to all workers. 
This is important to our workers and to our economy because it has been 
proven that paid sick leave reduces turnover, increases productivity, 
and lowers health care costs for all.
  I spoke about my experience in labor. I worked for a manufacturing 
firm as a young man of 20 or so. It was a business that manufactured 
computer forms. It was the only African American company of its kind in 
the United States of America at that time, and I was proud to work 
there because my vocation was printing in school. So I was very glad to 
go there and work in that atmosphere.
  But as a 20-year-old does sometimes when you're young and you make 
mistakes, I was fired by that company. The owner of the company that 
fired me was my uncle. My father was the hearing officer against me, 
and my grandfather was a witness against me.
  Let me say that no one knows how important it is to be represented, 
because the union got my job back. In spite of everything that I was up 
against, the union got my job back. I stand here to let you know I 
understand what it is to be represented firsthand.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of this country and this great State of New 
Jersey deserve a wage that they can live on.
  Several months ago, colleagues of mine in the Congressional Black 
Caucus took the SNAP challenge and we lived on what a person would have 
to live on for a day and try to make ends meet and eat. It was an eye-
opening experience. I had two bottles of water, a

[[Page 13232]]

microwave macaroni and cheese, and a half a can of tuna fish is what I 
had for a day. So if we think people are living well on $4.17 a day, 
then you have another thought coming.
  People need to have a living wage. We know what it costs to live in 
this Nation. We will continue as the CBC, as a group, to voice our 
opinion and be heard on these issues that impact our districts, our 
States, and our Nation.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank my good friend from New Jersey for those very 
insightful and thoughtful observations.
  I think the organized labor movement has a pretty simple objective in 
that a hard day's work should be compensated by a good day's pay; and 
anybody that works hard to provide for their family should be able to 
take care of their family, possibly even with a solidly middle class 
existence. That seems like that is consistent with the idea of who we 
are as a country. We, of course, right now have a minimum wage that is 
so low--$7.25 an hour--that you can work 40 hours a week and a family 
of four will still fall below the poverty line.
  We've seen income inequality reach levels that are as bad as they 
were during the Great Depression. Part of the reason for these economic 
phenomena clearly have to do with the decline of Americans and their 
participation in the workforce as union members. It's something that we 
just have to confront here in this country in deciding what type of 
America we're going to become as we move forward into the future.
  I've been joined by another extremely distinguished, eloquent, 
thoughtful colleague from the great State of Ohio, and I'm pleased to 
yield the floor now to Representative Joyce Beatty.
  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor for me to join and 
thank my colleague, Mr. Jeffries, for leading the Congressional Black 
Caucus' important discussion on achieving economic security through the 
labor movement.
  Labor unions played an important role in the civil rights movement. 
Today, the labor movement continues to be an important issue for 
African Americans, just as important as it was 50 years ago during the 
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
  The labor unions and civil rights groups share the struggles of 
fighting for better pay and equal rights. The overall goal of this 
movement remains the same. We must invest in education, fair wages, and 
workers' rights. We must continue to fight for those in our community 
who are denied economic opportunity and equality. Labor unions are at 
the forefront of these endeavors. They ensure the gains that workers 
have made in the past are maintained and that workers' rights will be 
protected in the future. Union members have played a critical role in 
the civil rights movement, and their involvement continues today.
  Historically, the path of the middle class for African Americans was 
through a union job, and today unions continue to provide African 
Americans with economic security. You see, 13.3 percent of all union 
jobs in the United States are African American, despite African 
Americans only making up 11.4 percent of the overall domestic 
workforce. African American union jobs earn up to $10,000, or 31 
percent, more per year than nonunion workers.
  If we really want to rebuild America's middle class, we need strong 
unions. Labor unions play a major role in our economy and on behalf of 
workers. The essence of what labor unions do is to provide workers with 
a strong voice so they receive a fair share of the economic growth that 
they help create. They have always been an important player in making 
sure that the economy works for all Americans.
  Labor unions have paved the way for middle class people, for millions 
of American workers, and pioneered benefits such as paid health care 
and pensions along the way. Even today, union workers still maintain 
more benefits and job protection than nonunion workers.
  Union jobs continue to offer higher salaries, pensions, health care, 
and benefits that give families the economic security that they 
deserve, the security to be able to send their children to college or 
trade schools. I know this firsthand because my dad was a union worker. 
Oftentimes I say that I was able to go to college because of union 
dollars. This is the American Dream, and unions have helped ensure that 
more Americans have a chance to live it.
  In central Ohio, the Third Congressional District of Ohio that I 
represent, labor unions are strong and a significant part of the 
community. During my August recess, I had the opportunity to visit the 
Sheet Metal Workers Union, Local 24, located in Columbus, Ohio. I also 
had the opportunity to have a labor town hall meeting where I had the 
opportunity to speak. Whether it's a teacher educating our children, a 
skilled tradesman improving our infrastructure, police and first 
responders keeping us safe, electric workers, those working in 
transportation, the Postal Service, nurses, automotive workers, local, 
State, Federal, and municipal government employees, these individuals 
assist us every day and their work improves our communities and our 
local economy.
  It is so important for us to come here today as Members of Congress 
and, yes, as members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Let me tell you 
why. In our current economic climate, unions are more important than 
ever before. We need fair wages. We need a higher minimum wage. As our 
economy continues to recover from the worst recession in 80 years, many 
workers are experiencing decreased wages, forcing them to spend their 
savings or try to figure out how to make ends meet.
  Yes, unions are a vital part of our society and so important as we 
continue to rebuild America. We must ensure that workers can retire 
with dignity. We must preserve the ideals and the principles of the 
middle class. We must make sure that we preserve the values of that 
civil rights movement 50 years ago and that labor movement that defines 
our country. When unions are strong and able to provide a voice to 
American workers, our communities, our States, and our Nation grows.
  So tonight I say ``thank you'' to all my friends in labor, because 
you are making us have a better America.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Thank you, Congresswoman Beatty, for those very 
comprehensive, thoughtful, and insightful remarks, and for pointing 
out, of course, the historic connection between the struggle for civil 
rights here in America and the organized labor movement.
  Of course we know that A. Philip Randolph was very central in the 
1963 March on Washington, that great labor leader who, in 1937, formed 
the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. A. Philip Randolph once made 
this observation:

       The essence of trade unionism is social uplift. The labor 
     movement traditionally has been the haven for the 
     dispossessed, the despised, the neglected, the downtrodden, 
     and the poor.

  He echoed those words several decades ago, but I think they ring true 
today in America in 2013, and we're thankful for that.
  I've been joined by another distinguished colleague, a member of the 
freshman class, my colleague from the Lone Star State. It's now my 
honor and my privilege to yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Texas, Marc Veasey.

                              {time}  2100

  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Jeffries, thank you very much for having 
us here to talk about the importance of wages and labor unions in our 
country. I want to thank my friend from the Empire State of New York 
for putting this together. This is very important and very timely as we 
try to pull our country out of the economic glut that it was in, as we 
are turning things around and we're getting job numbers back and things 
seem to be getting better slowly but surely. But we want to make sure, 
as things get better, people have a living wage, one where they can 
earn a good salary and have dignity and respect and be able to feed 
their families and take care of them.
  I was listening to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) talk

[[Page 13233]]

about his life when he was growing up and the importance that labor 
unions played in his life. I can tell you, when I was in high school, 
that I worked at a grocery store and it was a union grocery store, 
probably the only one in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. I remember, 
we had benefits. We had time and a half. We were paid extra on 
holidays. We were young people, but we were allowed to make a little 
extra money. No one got rich off it, but at least when we were working 
extra on those days that people would normally have off, when we worked 
those extra hours during the summer and when school was out, we were 
compensated for it and compensated for it fairly. I am really proud of 
that.
  Also, thinking back to my childhood, I often think about the people 
who would come over to our house and play dominoes and cards on Friday 
and Saturday night, and when the men would talk about trying to uplift 
themselves and getting that better job and better salary, and the 
companies that they often talked about.
  How do you get on there? That was a saying back then: Do you have a 
friend that can get me on over there? When people were talking about 
getting on someplace that had a good salary, it was a place that had a 
union. It was a place that had one of our labor forces fighting for 
good wages, fighting so your family could have health care insurance, 
fighting so your family could have dental insurance, and just basic 
things like that that so many people take for granted every day, but it 
certainly helped shape the person that I am today.
  A strong labor force is the key to economic security. Labor unions 
have historically sought to fight for workers' rights--to increase 
wages, raise the standard of living for the middle class, ensure safe 
working conditions, and increase benefits for both workers and their 
families.
  Unionized workers are more likely to receive paid leave, have 
employer-provided health insurance, and to participate in employer-
provided pension plans. They reduce wage inequality by raising wages 
for low- and middle-wage workers and blue-collar workers without a 
college degree. And they raise wages of unionized workers by roughly 20 
percent and raise compensation, including both wages and benefits, by 
about 28 percent.
  Today, the labor movement is an important tool for African Americans 
and, as unions, continue to play a pivotal role in both securing 
legislative labor protections, such as safety and health, overtime, 
family and medical leave, and making sure that those rights are 
enforced on the job.
  Labor unions are critically vital to the African American community's 
economic security. They have been historically and will continue to be 
in the future. African American union workers' earnings are nearly 24 
percent higher than nonunion counterparts, and labor unions provide key 
bargaining power by organizing the workers to negotiate an agreement 
with management. This agreement covers things such as a safe place to 
work, decent wages, and fringe benefits.
  Unionized workers are 28 percent more likely to be covered by 
employer-provided health insurance and are almost 54 percent more 
likely to have employer-provided pensions and are more likely to 
receive paid leave.
  Fifty years ago, the March on Washington was led with a labor message 
to increase economic security. Today we must work together to continue 
that charge. Working people need the collective voice and bargaining 
power unions provide to keep employers from making the workplace look 
as it did in the past.
  Unions are vital in ensuring that corporations do not focus on 
creating profits at the expense of their employees.
  African Americans are serving in key leadership roles in the larger 
labor movement. Arlene Holt Baker currently serves as the AFL-CIO's 
executive vice president, and Lee A. Saunders serves as the president 
of AFSCME.
  Today, labor unions are still on the forefront of efforts to ensure 
that the gains of the past are maintained and that those who fight for 
our dignity and equality continue to march on.
  I encourage my colleagues in Congress to continue to honor the 
traditions of the Davis-Bacon wage protections that have helped cement 
labor agreements and other fair practices that have helped the African 
American community and all Americans achieve prosperity and economic 
security.
  And as we think about what transpired last month with the March on 
Washington and as we commemorated 50 years, we think about all of the 
great things that Dr. King did in his service to our country while God 
allowed him to live on this Earth, and one of my favorite quotes by Dr. 
King is, and I'll close out with this:

       As I've said many times and believe with all my heart, the 
     coalition that can have the greatest impact in the circle for 
     human dignity here in America is that of the Negro and the 
     forces of labor because their forces are so closely 
     intertwined.

  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Jeffries, thank you very much for this time. Let's 
continue to march on.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Thank you, Representative Veasey, for your very 
eloquent thoughts and observations.
  Of course, we understood that Dr. King was very close with organized 
labor, with 1199 in New York, with the retail workers, and a variety of 
other unions. And of course on that tragic day down in Memphis, 
Tennessee, when he was assassinated in 1968, he was there in support of 
striking Black sanitation workers, so he leaves behind a tremendous 
legacy. Part of that legacy, of course, includes standing up for the 
rights of workers to organize and fight for decent wages and health 
care and a pension. These are all things that Dr. King would advocate 
for were he around today.
  We have been joined by one of the leaders of the CBC, someone who was 
a distinguished civil rights attorney prior to his arrival here in the 
Congress and a judge, and now he serves as vice chair in the 
Congressional Black Caucus, one of the most eloquent voices in the CBC, 
and I am pleased to yield the floor to the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Butterfield)
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Thank you, very much, Mr. Jeffries, for those very 
kind words and thank you for yielding me time this evening to talk 
about this very important subject. Mr. Jeffries, your leadership on 
this issue, the issue involving strong labor unions and bringing 
American jobs back to American workers is so critically important, and 
for that we appreciate your leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, the economic success of the United States is something 
that other nations every day try to emulate. The success of our country 
is not because of us here in Congress, the policymakers, but it is 
because of the hard work of so many Americans who helped build a strong 
and resilient Nation.
  The role of African Americans has been particularly important over 
the years. The role African Americans played in the early economic 
success of our country is one that is not well known to some people, 
but it was so vital to building the world power that we are today. Even 
before the Civil War, Black Americans were critical in helping to build 
ships and other seagoing vessels that were used to move agricultural 
goods and equipment to the growing Nation by serving as caulkers, a job 
that was dominated by African Americans.
  Those same shipbuilders formed the Caulker's Association back in 1838 
to protect African American caulkers by negotiating for higher wages 
and safer working conditions from their employers. The Caulker's 
Association counted Frederick Douglass, who worked as a caulker in 
Baltimore, as one of its members.
  After the end of the Civil War, 4 million former slaves were set 
free. African Americans who were freed found it very difficult to find 
work because of racial tension. They were often used by White employers 
as strikebreakers so that their businesses could continue to operate 
while White employees were on strike.
  Well, as time went on, by 1902, at the turn of the century, more than 
40 national unions didn't have any members, not a single one, who were 
African

[[Page 13234]]

American. But as the quest for civil rights began in earnest, African 
Americans would soon find a home--a good home--with labor unions all 
across the country.
  By the 1930s, the Congress of Industrial Organizations welcomed 
everyone and counted both Blacks and Whites as members and was among 
the most integrated organizations in the United States at that time. By 
1945, more than half a million African Americans were members of unions 
that comprised the Congress of Industrial Organizations.
  Labor unions played a critical role--we've heard that tonight--in the 
civil rights movement, and served as one means by which African 
Americans could fight for civil rights and fair pay and safe working 
conditions.
  Mr. Speaker, we recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the March 
on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. On August 28, 1963, more than 
300,000 people, including myself, witnessed the call for civil and 
economic rights for African Americans. And on that hot day in August, 
we heard Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., deliver his historic ``I Have a 
Dream'' speech. The march was one of the largest rallies for civil 
rights in the history of our country, and it was organized in large 
part--I want to make this point--it was organized in large part by 
labor unions, including the Amalgamated Clothing Workers and the United 
Auto Workers.
  The large role labor unions played in organizing the March on 
Washington cemented their place in history in providing for racial and 
economic equality.
  In 2012, more than 14 million people were members of a labor union. 
But you know what? That is down from almost 18 million 30 years ago. 
That is very sad. Why is that?
  The U.S. economy and Federal and State laws have changed since the 
heyday of industrial manufacturing where unions could organize with 
relative ease. Jobs that once required a human being are now being 
performed by a machine. Good paying American jobs have been relocated 
overseas where labor is cheap and working conditions are not as heavily 
regulated. And, perhaps most damaging, have been the onslaught of 
disgraceful antiunion policies that we have sadly seen on television 
that have been signed into law in States all across the country.
  For African Americans, labor unions continue to be vitally important 
because they are committed to maintaining the hard-fought gains of 
opportunity and equality. Since their inception, labor unions have 
helped African Americans fight for equal rights and equal pay and safe 
working conditions. Now, African Americans are more likely than any 
other group to be a union member and earn more than 30 percent more 
than their nonunion counterparts. Labor unions will continue to be a 
vital part of our economy, and we must do all that we can to ensure 
that the labor movement thrives with the same intensity as it did 60 
years ago.
  I urge my friends in labor to continue their work. It is appreciated. 
I recently visited the A. Philip Randolph Institute. Ms. Clayola Brown 
is the president. I went to their dinner just a few days ago here in 
Washington, and I wanted to commend them publicly for the work they are 
doing. I thank them for invoking the name of A. Philip Randolph who, as 
Mr. Jeffries said earlier, founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car 
Porters.
  Let me also recognize the important work of the Coalition of Black 
Trade Unionists, headed by my good friend Bill Lucy, who was secretary-
treasurer of AFSCME for many years. And now the Reverend Terry Melvin 
is carrying on the work of Bill Lucy. So I thank my friends in labor 
and urge them to continue the great work that they are doing in this 
country.
  Mr. Jeffries, I thank you for yielding me this time and for your 
leadership.

                              {time}  2115

  Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina 
for those observations and for your continued leadership here in the 
Congress.
  I would ask the Speaker how much time is remaining on this Special 
Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 15 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that's been troubling to 
me and to many of the people that I represent back home in Brooklyn and 
parts of Queens has been to witness the attack on organized labor, on 
unions all across the country. Particularly in 2011, 2012, we witnessed 
it in Wisconsin, we witnessed it in Ohio, taking place in other parts 
of the country.
  And I think that it's unfortunate that there are some forces out here 
in the country determined to crush the ability of the American worker 
to organize and fight collectively for a decent way of life.
  And I think it's important to point out some of the reasons why all 
Americans should be thankful for unions and for the organized labor 
movement. I'm just going to highlight quickly 10.
  We should be thankful to organized labor because of overtime pay.
  We should be thankful because of child labor laws.
  We should be thankful because we now have the 40-hour workweek. We 
should be thankful because of workers' compensation, there to provide a 
safety net for folks who are injured on the job.
  We should be thankful because we now have the presence, as a result, 
in significant part, of the organized labor movement, for unemployment 
insurance.
  We should of course be thankful because many Americans, as a result 
of the efforts of organized labor, enjoy pensions, increasingly under 
assault, increasingly being taken away, but pensions have provided a 
vehicle for retirement security important to the American way of life 
and standard of living.
  We should be thankful to organized labor because it fought for 
employer health care insurance coverage, something that many folks in 
this country still don't have, and that's one of the reasons why I 
strongly support the Affordable Care Act, an effort to correct that 
inequity that exists in America. But the fact that many employers do 
provide health insurance is an outgrowth that resulted from, in large 
measure, the effort of organized labor.
  We should be thankful to organized labor because of the presence of 
whistleblower protection laws that give, in many instances, workers the 
capacity to identify something that's wrong, and to be able to move 
forward and reveal it, often, in some instances, when public funds are 
being squandered or the law is being broken; to reveal a wrong without 
having to have the same level of fear that retaliation would take place 
as a result of simply doing the right thing.
  We should be thankful to organized labor because it fought for sexual 
harassment laws designed to allow the workforce to be an environment 
where men and women could exist without fear of inappropriate behavior 
poisoning the atmosphere. We still have a long way to go in that 
regard, but we've got some good laws on the books designed to protect 
against repulsive behavior in the workforce.
  Lastly, we should be thankful, and this in no way is an exhaustive 
list, just a representative sample, but we should be thankful for 
holiday pay, thankful that organized labor fought for the opportunity 
for many Americans to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving or Christmas or New 
Year's or other holidays with their families, still have an opportunity 
to be compensated as a result of the ability to get certain holidays, 
perhaps most significantly, the Fourth of July, where we celebrate the 
birthday of this great Nation--off in remembrance of who we are and 
where we need to go in this country.
  We've got a lot of reasons to be thankful to organized labor. Several 
of my colleagues earlier today referenced their own personal 
experiences as it relates to the labor movement. And as I was listening 
to those experiences, from Representative Donald Payne and 
Representative Marc Veasey, I thought about the experience of myself 
and my own family, growing up in Brooklyn to two parents in a working 
class neighborhood in Crown Heights.

[[Page 13235]]

  My parents were married in April of 1967. At the time they got 
married, they were both members of the Social Service Employees Union, 
SSEU, which subsequently became Local 371 and DC 37. But they were both 
SSEU members. They got married in April of 1967.
  And just a short while thereafter, the union decided to go out on 
strike because they were fighting for improved conditions, both for the 
workers and for the clients that Social Service workers served.
  My parents, newlyweds at the time, confronted what I imagine was an 
extremely difficult decision: Do we strike with our union brothers and 
sisters, even though we'll have no possible means of providing for 
ourselves, and we don't know how long we'll be out of work, or do we 
cross that picket line in defiance of the collective action of the SSEU 
workers who went out on strike?
  I'm proud that my parents joined with their union brothers and 
sisters and went out on strike. And as I look back at that decision, 
it's a lot of reason for me and for my brother and for our family to be 
thankful, because when I think about it, in 1973, my younger brother 
was born with some heart difficulty, and I'm confident, looking back on 
it, that it was that union-negotiated health care that helped our 
family get through what was otherwise a very difficult time. And my 
brother's alive and well and doing wonderful things as a professor at 
Ohio State University right now.
  And then in 1980, my parents bought their first and only home in 
Crown Heights, the home that my brother and I grew up in, the home that 
they still live in back in Brooklyn right now. And it was that union-
negotiated salary that helped them put together the money to make the 
down payment and to pay the mortgage all of these years.
  Then in 1988, it was time for me to go off to college. And one of the 
reasons why I was able to come out of college relatively debt-free is 
because my mother borrowed against her union-negotiated pension in 
order to send her children to college.
  And so the organized labor movement never has to worry about whether 
I'm going to stand up for them because they've always stood up for me 
and so many others just like me, as we heard from my colleagues in the 
freshman class here in the Congress. And that's simply representative 
of stories that so many folks across America could share.
  Now, unfortunately, we know that organized labor is under attack. 
About 60 years ago, in 1953, about 35 percent of the American workforce 
had collective bargaining coverage. But as of 2010, we went from about 
35 percent in the 1950s to just under 7 percent in 2010.
  Where has that gotten us?
  I think it's put us, not in a better position, as middle class 
America or working families; it's put us in a worse position.
  And we saw the attacks in Wisconsin, and we saw the attacks on 
collective bargaining in Ohio that the folks had to roll back after the 
people of Ohio rose up in opposition.
  I was proud, as a member of the State legislature at the time, in 
2012, to support the effort to unionize by a group of very courageous 
cable workers in Brooklyn. Organized by the Communication Workers of 
America, they voted, in the face of significant pressure to the 
contrary, to join the union and to organize a chapter in order to fight 
for better wages and for stronger health care and the possibility of a 
better retirement.
  Unfortunately, the courageous nature of those workers has not been 
met with a negotiated contract. The collective bargaining process has 
failed them to date. In fact, more than 20 of them were unceremoniously 
terminated earlier this year, and they were only brought back in the 
face of tremendous pressure by public servants at all levels of 
government.
  But more than 18 months later, from the moment in which they voted to 
join the union, they still are in limbo. They have no contract, and in 
many ways, their lives have been turned upside down. In fact, every 
other worker in the company that employed these cable workers has been 
granted a substantial raise, while these individuals remain in limbo.
  We're hopeful that we can do better, that we can bring the NLRB back 
to life, that it can serve as an objective entity to regulate the 
relationship between the workforce and employers across America.
  There are a lot of employers who want to do the right thing. We 
should encourage that because it's good for America. And in this 
economic recovery that we have right now, there are a lot of companies 
that are doing pretty well. But there are a lot of workers who are 
still struggling.
  One of the things that I think we have to confront here in the 
Congress is the fact that we have a very schizophrenic economic 
recovery. The stock market is way up, corporate profit's way up, the 
productivity of the American worker is way up, yet, unemployment 
remains stubbornly high, and wages remain stagnant.
  How can that be when corporate America is doing so well, when 
investors in the stock market are doing so well, when objective 
measures show that the productivity of the American worker has 
increased significantly?
  But the American worker, in terms of their ability to live and pursue 
the middle class dream, has, in many ways, been left behind.
  These are questions that I'm hopeful this Congress will confront. As 
we fight our way through sequestration and deal with the debt ceiling 
and the potential default, God forbid, that we have to confront next 
month, and we work our way, deliberatively, through the question of 
whether a military strike in Syria is appropriate, let's not forget the 
fact that what makes America great is the capacity for people to work 
hard, to purchase a home, to raise their family in safety, in security, 
with the ability to live a life where they provide for themselves and 
for their families and are able to hand to a generation of Americans 
that come behind them, hopefully, an America that is more prosperous, 
not less prosperous.

                              {time}  2130

  We in the CBC believe that the best way to get there is not to 
continue to attack organized labor but to recognize what it has done 
for this country and to strengthen organized labor as we move forward.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues Congressmen 
Jeffries and Horsford for once again leading the Congressional Black 
Caucus Special Order Hour.
  African Americans have had a long history with the labor movement.
  Within the labor community, African Americans joined with individuals 
of other races to advance efforts to create ladders to prosperity in an 
environment of economic and racial discrimination.
  In the 1800s, such efforts led to African American union visionaries, 
such as Isaac Myers, who realized the collective power of African 
Americans within the Trade Union movement.
  Under Myers, an organized group of ship caulkers purchased and 
operated the Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company in 
Baltimore.
  Within months, the cooperative employed 300 African American caulkers 
and received several government contracts.
  Nearly 100 years later, A. Phillip Randolph would organize the 
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.
  Randolph was instrumental in uniting the African American Civil 
Rights community and the labor movement with the shared ideals of 
collective prosperity and economic security.
  Randolph proposed a 1941 March on Washington that heavily influenced 
the economic and social themes echoed by Bayard Rustin, Martin Luther 
King, Jr., and others who were instrumental in making the 1963 March on 
Washington a success.
  During celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the March on 
Washington last month, we recalled the message of social and economic 
justice that union leaders spoke of in 1963.
  Dr. King was noted for saying, ``it's not enough to have a right to 
sit at a lunch counter if you can't afford to buy a meal.''
  This message echoed the call of labor leaders who asked ``what good 
is it to be able to serve at the counter when you can't afford to buy a 
meal?''
  Sadly, today, we must still ask this question.

[[Page 13236]]

  As the wealth gap continues to grow, income and food insecurity 
remain prevalent.
  The ladders to prosperity that Myers, Randolph and King spoke of are 
still inaccessible to many in our society--whether they are African 
American or another race or ethnicity.
  Many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle speak of 
disbanding labor unions and limiting collective bargaining rights.
  I proudly stand with our labor allies to fight these efforts because 
I know weakened organized labor means continued erosion of the middle 
class.
  The Members of the Congressional Black Caucus will continue to oppose 
devastating cuts to programs that will only increase economic despair.
  Together we will continue to propose and support policies that create 
economic opportunity for all people rather than for a select few.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I join in support of my colleagues 
Representatives Hakeem Jeffries and Steven Horsford in leading 
tonight's Congressional Black Caucus Special Order on the topic of 
Achieving Economic Security Through the Labor Movement.
  I want to offer special recognition for the men and women of labor 
who are dedicated to the working people of the 18th Congressional 
District and the Greater Houston area.
  I began my remarks with a special tribute to one of the greatest 
labor leaders that I have known and to honor the memory of Ronnie 
Raspberry of Houston, Texas. He passed away in April of this year, and 
he will be remembered as a champion of working people, one of the great 
community leaders in the cities of Houston and Harris in Texas.
  People like Harris Country AFL-CIO Council President E. Dale Wortham, 
IBEW, Local 716, Secretary-Treasurer Richard C. Shaw, Steven Flores, a 
member of the Latino Labor Leadership Council, Tawn E. MacDonald, CWA, 
Local 6222, Houston Chapter and Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), 
Zeph Cappo, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) and 
Scott Vinson, with the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), and 
Gayle Fallon, President--Houston Federation of Teachers improve the 
lives of working people in the city of Houston.
  This list is not complete with a special mention of Houston 
Educational Support Personnel Union President Wretha Thomas who works 
with local school bus drivers to be sure that their rights are included 
when district negotiate labor agreements.
  I want to say a word about Clyde Fitzgerald who was appointed to the 
Port of Houston Authority Commission by Harris County in June 2013. I 
cannot complete the Us of outstanding labor leaders in Houston with 
mentioning Dean E. Corgey who was appointed to the Port of Houston 
Authority Commission in January 2013. He represents the City of 
Houston, and serves on the Community Relations and Pension and Benefits 
Committees.
  John Bland with the Transport Workers Union (AFL-CIO) and leader of 
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) is doing outstanding job as 
well.
  My thanks to the unions that represents Houston's First responders. I 
want to recognize Houston Police Officers Union President Ray Hunt and 
the Immediate Past President J.J. Berry.
  I count the International Association of Fire Fighters Houston Local 
341 President Jeff Caynon and General President Harold Schaitberger as 
friends and I am like all Houstonians proud of how that serve the fire 
fighting community and our city as true selfless public servants.
  The most important thing to remember about unions is wrapped up in 
the answer to one question--What does labor want? Samuel Gompers--
Founder of the American Federation of Labor provided the answer:

       More. We want more school houses and less jails; more books 
     and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more constant 
     work and less crime; more leisure and less greed; more 
     justice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities 
     to cultivate our better natures, to make manhood more noble, 
     womanhood more beautiful and childhood more happy and bright. 
     These in brief are the primary demands made by the Trade 
     Unions in the name of labor. These are the demands made by 
     labor upon modern society and in their consideration is 
     involved the fate of civilization. (1893)

  Quote: Martin Luther King:

       Unless man [and women are] . . . committed to the belief 
     that all mankind are [our sisters and] . . . brothers, then 
     [we] . . . labor . . . in vain and hypocritically in the 
     vineyards of equality.

  The right to earn a living wage, to work in safe conditions, to enjoy 
a forty hour work week, have health care, be free of discrimination, 
have sick leave, receive overtime pay, have a pension, be free of 
sexual harassment have holiday pay and enjoy countless other 
protections comes as direct result of what Unions mean to working men 
and women of this nation.
  Some would have you believe that the working life of men and women is 
just the way it is--but in truth it is what the blood, sweat and tears 
of working people made it to be.
  Labor Day is celebrated in recognition of the toil and trials that 
millions of workers endured before they earned the right to collective 
bargaining and with that right the power to change the fate of working 
people for generations. The fruits of their effort extended to those in 
management as well as the poorest of the poor.
  Unions are the reason that the basic standard of living in the United 
States has risen, without the protection of unions advocating the 
behalf of workers those gains would be completely lost.
  During the last Congress I introduced the New Jobs for America Act, 
that directs the Secretary of Labor to make grants to state and local 
governments and Indian tribes to carry out employment training programs 
to aid unemployed individuals in securing employment in a new area of 
expertise, particularly in emerging markets and industries
  I also co-sponsored the American Jobs Act of 2011 which would have 
provided tax relief for American workers and businesses, to put workers 
back on the job while rebuilding and modernizing America, and to 
provide pathways back to work for Americans looking for jobs.
  I supported the Job Opportunities Between our Shores Act or JOBS Act 
that Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to direct the 
Secretary of Labor to make grants to or enter into contracts with 
eligible entities to carry out demonstration and pilot projects that 
provide education and training programs for jobs in advanced 
manufacturing.
  My heart where Fannie Lou Hamer's was during the civil rights 
movement--which was really more about economic rights to move up in our 
nation's socio-economic system. People were held down because they were 
women, black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, or poor.
  It is not a crime if you sweat when you work for a living and we 
should end the practice of dividing how workers are treated based on 
how they earn a living.
  Fannie Lou Hamer Quotes:

       To support whatever is right, and to bring in justice where 
     we've had so much injustice.

  That is the reason, we are here tonight--to bring justice where we've 
had so much injustice in the unwillingness of the current Republican 
controlled Congress to acknowledge the value of your worth to the 
American economy by securing for your labor a living minimum wage.
  There is not America without the American worker. This is as true 
today was it was from the nation's earliest beginnings. At our earliest 
history workers were indentured servants, bonded persons, or slaves. 
The sweat of their brow carved a nation out of stone, swamp, and dense 
wilderness to become one the greatest nation the world has ever known.
  Historically, the path to the middle class for African Americans was 
through a union job. African-American workers are more likely to be 
union members because they know that acting as one is stronger than 
acting alone. This is the message of the civil rights movement and one 
that African Americans have learned well over the decades of struggle 
for equal rights.
  Equality also requires equal access to education, employment and pay.
  Coretta Scott King Quotes:

       The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by 
     the compassionate actions of its members, . . . a heart of 
     grace and a soul generated by love.

  Unionized workers promote greater income equality and prevent wage 
discrimination.
  African American union workers earn up to $10,000 or 31% more per 
year than non-union members.
  In 2011, nearly 20 percent of employed African Americans worked for 
state, local, or federal government compared to 14.2% of Whites and 
10.4 percent of Hispanics.
  African Americans are less likely than Hispanics and nearly as likely 
as Whites to work in the private sector, not including the self-
employed.
  Few African Americans are self-employed--only 3.8 percent reported 
being self-employed in 2011--making them almost half as likely to be 
self-employed as Whites (7.2 percent).
  Unionized workers are more likely to receive paid leave, more likely 
to have employer-provided health insurance, and are more likely to be 
in employer-provided pension plans.
  The tools of unions must be part of the landscape for poor working 
Americans and the way forward for equity and fairness in income and the 
benefits of the success of our society.

[[Page 13237]]

  Unions play a pivotal role by ensuring workers has continued 
educational access for their current roles as well as encourage workers 
to pursue higher education. Nationally, 77 percent of union employees 
in 2009 were covered by pension plans that provide a guaranteed monthly 
retirement income. Only 20 percent of non-union workers are covered by 
guaranteed (defined-benefit) pensions 20 percent.
  Union workers are 53.9 percent more likely to have employer-provided 
pensions. These are not isolated facts, when unions are strong and able 
to represent the people who want to join them, these gains spread 
throughout the economy and the overall community.
  Unions are not just good for workers. They are the best friend that a 
successful business can have. When workers form unions they are able to 
boost wages, which helps attract and retain staff for employers. When 
non-union companies increase their wages, it gives all workers more 
purchasing power.
  The benefits of unions flow to the entire community with a strong 
middle class have sufficient tax revenues to support schools, hospitals 
and roads.
  Today, labor unions are still on the forefront of efforts to ensure 
that the gains of the past are maintained and to fight for those still 
denied opportunity and equality.
  Unions are a great community and I will tell you why you should be 
standing up with them for your rights.
  In 1968, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King went to Memphis to help 
sanitation workers who were fighting for their rights and dignity as 
people who worked hard for a living, but had no living wage.
  In 1968 Memphis the color of the skin of two black workers was 
prevented by Jim Crow laws from finding shelter from a cold rain sought 
warmth in the back of a sanitation truck and were crushed to death--
Martin Luther King could not keep silent nor turn away.
  He was killed in Memphis at the Lorraine Motel because of the power 
of his message to move the hearts and minds of people so that they 
would fight for the rights and dignity of working people everywhere.
  Talking Points:
  The 2013 Federal Poverty guidelines stipulate $23,550 for a family of 
four as poverty level. A $7.25 minimum wage earns $15,080 a year. Even 
at the poverty level of $23,550 for a family of four, families are 
unable to make ends meet and often have to sacrifice basic necessities.
  Fast food jobs used to be considered entry level jobs and often held 
by teenagers but now, in the new economy, the average age of a fast 
food worker is 28, many of which have families to support. A family 
living on $15,000 a year must sacrifice many basic necessities most of 
us take for granted--like healthcare, transportation, and food--to say 
nothing of the luxuries many of us enjoy on a regular basis.
  In Houston, nearly 500,000 people make poverty wages or less, or 
nearly one quarter of all Houstonians. The ripple effects of this 
amount of people given more spending power would create a tremendous 
amount of economic activity spurring job creation and new markets for 
small business. Fast food workers paid a living wage of $15/hr. not 
only puts food on their tables but also puts more money into the local 
economy. This is an economic engine that needs to be started.
  With 1.07 million restaurant and food service workers, Texas has the 
second-largest restaurant workforce in the nation. And it leads the 
nation in projected restaurant job growth between 2013 and 2023, 
according to the National Restaurant Association. The trade group 
predicts a nearly 16 percent jump in Texas restaurant and food service 
jobs in 10 years.
  Texas also had the nation's largest collection of minimum-wage 
workers last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 
Texas accounted for nearly 13 percent of such workers across the 
country, the data showed.
  My thanks to my colleagues' Representatives Hakeem Jeffries and 
Steven Horsford for hosting this important special order.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the working 
people of this great Nation.
  My fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus and I are here 
tonight to honor the Labor Movement. We do so one week after our Nation 
celebrated its 119th Labor Day, and two weeks after we celebrated the 
50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Justice. It is 
only appropriate that we pay homage to both tonight, as the Labor 
Movement and the Civil Rights Movement are sisters in the fight for 
dignity, freedom, and justice.
  Over the years, Labor Day like many holidays has lost much of its 
meaning. Today, most Americans simply think of it as the end of summer, 
or the beginning of school. One last moment to enjoy the beach or the 
backyard with friends and family.
  However, Labor Day is also a day during which we should honor those 
who paid the ultimate price to secure their children a more perfect 
union. At Bay View in 1885, at Haymarket in 1886, at Pullman in 1894, 
and in Memphis in 1968, members of the Labor Movement laid down their 
lives so that others might earn a living.
  My own support for collective bargaining rights started early on with 
my father, John Conyers Sr., who worked with the United Auto Workers to 
integrate factories in Detroit, before the Civil Rights Movement took 
that battle to the buses of Alabama and the lunch counters of North 
Carolina. His battle--Labor's battle--was one which Dr. Martin Luther 
King would later recognize as the final frontier for the Civil Rights 
Movement. Specifically, the availability of jobs that paid a fair 
wage--wage upon which one could raise a family, plan for old age, and 
live a life beyond mere survival.
  Dr. King once spoke of the Labor Movement as the ``first and pioneer 
anti-poverty program.'' In his last battle, Dr. King went to Memphis, 
TN, the city that would claim his life, to stand with the sanitation 
workers of that city who sought what so many of us take for granted and 
so many of us only dream of: a fair day's pay, for a fair day's work.
  Speaking to the sanitation workers of Memphis, he acknowledged the 
threats he had received, but he told them that he stood before them 
unafraid of any man, for he had been to the mountain top, and even if 
he didn't reach the Promised Land, he knew that others would one day.
  Today, we are still on that mountaintop, waiting for the Promised 
Land. Through the sacrifices of labor and civil rights leaders, we were 
led out of bondage, but we still have not reached the land promised in 
the American dream. It is my hope that in the 21st Century, we will see 
the same progress we saw through the middle part of the 20th Century. I 
hope to see the middle class prosper, I hope to see management work 
with labor to produce wonders that we could not hope to achieve without 
cooperation, and I hope to finally see poverty conquered through the 
power of fair wages and honest toil. Together, workers can seize the 
dream that will slip out of any one person's grasp. Together, workers 
have the power to ford any river, cross any valley, and come down from 
the mountain where we have been for too long.

                          ____________________