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BARACK OBAMA WOULD CREATE GOOD JOBS AND PROTECT WAGES
Barack Obama believes in an “aggressive strategy to create good, middle-class jobs” and would invest in education, training and workforce development to create high-wage jobs and compete in a global economy.
OBAMA ON JOBS:
Obama Would Strengthen the Renewable Energy Sector to Create New Jobs. Obama proposes a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard and to extend the Production Tax Credit, which have the potential to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and increase renewable energy production. ()
Obama Would Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology. Obama will significantly increase the resources devoted to the commercialization and deployment of low-carbon, clean coal technologies. ()
Obama Would Make the Research and Development Tax Credit Permanent to Help Create Higher-Paying Jobs. “Obama believes we need to double federal funding for basic research and make the research and development tax credit permanent to help create high-paying, secure jobs.” ()
Obama Voted Against Privatizing of Federal Jobs. Obama voted to block privatization of federal jobs. (S.Amdt. 4895 to H.R. 5631, Vote 234, 9/6/06) Obama Voted for Major Highway and Transit Program to Create 1 Million Jobs. Obama voted for a six-year, $286 billion reauthorization of the federal highway and transit construction program that would create 1 million jobs protected by Davis-Bacon prevailing wage standards. (H.R. 3, Vote 200, 7/29/05)
OBAMA ON WAGES:
Obama Opposed Disqualifying Millions of Workers from Overtime and Equal Pay Protections. Obama voted against a measure that would have disqualifi ed as many as 10 million workers from minimum wage, overtime pay and equal pay protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act. (S.Amdt. 128 to S. 256, Vote 27, 3/7/05)
Obama: Construction Workers Must Make Prevailing Wage. Obama said, “We need to make sure workers building America’s infrastructure are making the prevailing wage and getting the benefi ts they deserve.” He voted against a proposal to strip prevailing wage requirements from bridge construction projects. (S.Amdt. 2844 to H.R. 3074, Vote 334, 9/12/07; Barack Obama speech to Building Trades Conference, 4/15/08)
Obama: Government Must Use Project Labor Agreements. Obama believes “the government uses project labor agreements to encourage completion of projects on time and on budget.” (Barack Obama speech to Building Trades Conference, 4/15/08)
Obama Voted to Raise the Federal Minimum Wage in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Obama voted for an increase from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 for the federal minimum wage in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, Obama voted for a “clean” increase to $7.25 an hour, free of another round of corporate tax breaks sought by Republicans. (S.Amdt. 4322 to S. 2766, Vote 179, 6/21/06; S.Amdt. 44 to S. 256, Vote 26, 3/7/05; H.R. 2, Vote 23, 1/24/07)
Obama Opposed Repeal of Federal Minimum Wage. Obama voted against a measure to allow states the right to determine the minimum wage, thereby abolishing a federal minimum wage protection. (S.Amdt. 116 to S.Amdt. 100 to H.R. 2, Vote 24, 1/24/07)
Obama Voted for Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Obama voted for the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to restore protections against pay discrimination that were eliminated by a U.S. Supreme Court decision. (H.R. 2831, Vote 110, 4/23/08)
Obama Would Extend the Family Medical Leave Act to Cover More Workers. Obama proposes extending the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to cover businesses with 25 or more employees. He would extend it to allow workers to take leave for elder care needs, allow parents up to 24 hours of leave each year to participate in their children’s academic activities and cover leave for employees to address domestic violence. ()
Obama Would Provide $1.5 Billion to States to Adopt Paid Leave Policies. “Obama will provide a $1.5 billion fund to assist states with start-up costs [for paid-leave programs] and to help states off set the costs for employees and employers.” ()
Obama Voted for Harsher Penalties for Employers That Violate OSHA and Wage Protections. Obama supported an amendment that made “willful” or “grossly negligent” safety and health violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) a criminal felony, provided back pay to undocumented workers in cases of employer wage-andhour violations and increased fi nes for wage-and-hour infractions and OSHA violations. (S.Amdt. 4106 to S. 2611, Vote 141, 5/23/06)
Obama Supported Protecting Workers’ Vacation and Severance Pay from Bankruptcy Actions. Obama voted for an amendment protecting workers from losing vacation and severance pay when their employers declare bankruptcy. (S. 256, Vote 32, 3/9/05)
