The Bernie Sanders (I-VT) chaired Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee is set to mark up a significant set of labor law reforms that are aimed at addressing the needs of the working class in America. The committee, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, will vote on three bills that are aimed at closing the gender pay gap, providing paid sick days to workers, and making it easier for workers to join unions.
The Paycheck Fairness Act is a significant step towards ending the gender pay gap in America. This legislation will make it easier for women to come together and file lawsuits against employers who commit wage discrimination. This is a crucial step towards ensuring equal pay for equal work.
The Healthy Families Act is another important piece of legislation that will ensure that every worker in America receives up to seven paid sick days from their employers. This is a significant step towards ending the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth not to guarantee paid sick days to workers.
Finally, the PRO Act is aimed at making it easier for workers to join unions and secure their first union contract. This is a crucial step towards ensuring that large corporate interests do not continue to break the law and deny their employees the constitutional right to organize.
The bills won’t get out of the full Senate and would not pass the Republican-controlled House, but they represent a significant stake in the political ground for what Democratic priorities are likely to be if they win back full control of the federal government.
If these bills are ever sent to the Oval Office, President Biden would sign them before they could hit his desk.
Sen. Sanders has led the charge for decades on the issues of labor organization and income inequality.
Sanders has a like-minded partner in the White House on these issues. All that is preventing real change is four Republican seats in the House.