Senator Chris Dodd has a long track record of protecting the rights of workers and their families. Whether it was his 7-year fight to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act or his efforts to stop the outsourcing of American jobs, Dodd has been a strong advocate for working families.
Protecting Jobs
Dodd Authored Legislation to Stop the Outsourcing of Jobs. In 2004, Chris Dodd introduced the United States Worker Protection Act that sought to prevent most federal agencies from outsourcing jobs to overseas contractors. In addition, Dodd has also worked to reduce the use of so-called "offset contracts" that have resulted in the loss of American jobs. Under these contracts, a foreign government agrees to purchase a product from an American company, but only if the company agrees to buy goods or services from that country. In 2003, Dodd succeeded in passing legislation, as part of the Defense Production Act, which has required the Bush administration to monitor and discourage these "offset contracts."
Dodd Opposed Giving Companies Tax Breaks for Moving Factories Overseas. In 2004, Chris Dodd supported legislation forbidding American companies from receiving a tax benefit if they moved a factory offshore and then re-imported goods back into the country. The measure, supported by Dodd, also required employers to notify employees and the Labor Department when jobs will be moved offshore, the number of jobs affected, the relocation destination of those jobs and the reason for the relocation.
Protecting Workers' Rights
Dodd Worked to Protect Collective Bargaining Rights. Chris Dodd recently 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” denying many workers the right to join a union. Dodd is also an original cosponsor of Senator Kennedy’s Employee Free Choice Act – 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 from joining.
Dodd has Worked to Ensure Collective Bargaining Rights for Public Safety Officers, Such as Fire Fighters. Chris Dodd has been a strong supporter and cosponsor of the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, which would ensure that all public safety officers – fire fighters, police officers, and other emergency personnel – have basic collective bargaining rights. While Congress has passed legislation to provide these rights to private sector employees, non-profit association employees, and federal government employees, state and local government employees, including public safety officers, still do not have the protections federal collective bargaining law. As Dodd recently noted, "those who stand on the front lines against terrorism, fire, natural disasters, and crime deserve strong unions, safe working conditions, and a decent wage." The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act will ensure that the fire fighters and police officers who protect us everyday are afforded these basic rights.
Dodd Opposed a Bush Administration Rule to Eliminate Overtime Pay for Millions of American Workers. In 2004, Chris Dodd supported a measure to block implementation of the Bush Labor Department's controversial overtime pay rule. Under the rule, million workers lost their right to overtime pay – including those making as little as 23,660 a year. As the Economic Policy Institute has noted, this anti-worker rule "means longer hours and less pay for millions of workers." Dodd also criticized the overtime rule, stating "For three years, [President Bush] and his allies have worked to deny overtime pay to 8 million Americans who work in offices, hospitals, hotels, and other places. They want people to work harder, but not be paid for their effort."
Dodd Has a Long Record of Supporting Increases in the Minimum Wage. Chris Dodd has been a strong supporter of legislation to increase the minimum wage – including the long-overdue measure to increase it from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour. After a recent vote to increase the minimum wage, Dodd noted that it would help "the millions of hard-working men and women who are helping fuel our economy and keep our nation strong." Dodd added, "With the rising costs of housing, food, energy, healthcare and education, this modest raise will allow millions of Americans a chance to provide a better life for themselves and their families."
Dodd Opposed the So-Called "Paycheck Protection" Proposal. Chris Dodd repeatedly stood up against unfair legislation targeting unions. Dodd opposed requiring unions to obtain permission from dues-paying members before spending money on political activities.
Dodd Has Fought To Protect the Pensions Of American Workers. Dodd spoke out against President Bush’s flawed plan to convert pension plans, which could reduce retiree benefits. "Many older workers have made career and retirement decisions based upon the expectation of certain pension benefits. Converting a long-term worker's defined benefit plan to a cash balance plan can sharply reduce benefit accruals for such workers," said Dodd. "The proposed regulations do not protect against this possibility-and therefore, could reduce the standard of living for vast numbers of retirees." [Connecticut Post, 12/15/02]
Protecting Families
Dodd's Family and Medical Leave Act has Allowed 50 million Workers to Take Time Off to Care for a New Child or Sick Family Members. Chris Dodd authored the Family Medical Leave Act and fought for seven years, overcoming two presidential vetoes, until it finally became law. Since this landmark bill was enacted in 1993, an estimated 50 million workers have been allowed to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a new child or a sick family member.
Dodd Fought for and Passed Landmark Child Care Legislation, the First of its Kind Since World War II. Chris Dodd authored the Child Care and Development Block Grant program, which was signed into law in 1990 and has since provided billions of dollars in federal aid to improve the quality of child care and help low-income families cope with its high cost. Dodd’s measure was the first federal child care law enacted since the World War II era. In the years since his bill passed, Dodd has led the fight to increase how much the Federal government spends to help families cope with the high cost of child care, in many instances facing stiff opposition from the GOP.
Dodd Awarded "Lifetime Leadership Award for Quality Child Care." In 2001, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) awarded Dodd the "Lifetime Leadership Award for Quality Child Care" in recognition of his "legislative accomplishments benefiting families in Connecticut and throughout the United States by improving access to safe, quality child care."
Dodd Stood-Up For Families and Opposed the Bankruptcy Bills Sought by Corporate Leaders. Chris Dodd worked closely with consumer groups and took on the large banks and credit card companies when he opposed the bankruptcy bill sought by the industry. While Dodd and his allies failed to block the legislation, the New York Times has noted that they managed to delay its passage by nearly a decade and to water down some of the provisions that were especially tough on debtors.
Harvard Professor and Consumer Advocate, Elizabeth Warren, Praised Dodd for His Opposition to the Bankruptcy Bill. "There was no payoff for opposing all of the bankruptcy amendments and in fact all of the money was on the other side and there was plenty of political cover to vote for them," recalled Professor Elizabeth Warren of Harvard Law School, a bankruptcy expert who fought the measure. "But Dodd led the push on the other side. He had an abiding interest in the gritty details of the financial instruments that slowly drive money out of the pockets of middle-class families."
Holding Corporate Leaders Accountable
Dodd Helped Write the Landmark Sarbanes-Oxley Law that has Made Corporate Leaders More Accountable to their Shareholders and the Public. In the wake of the Enron scandal, Senator Dodd worked with then-Senator Jon Corzine to author sweeping legislation that sought to overhaul the accounting industry and restrict accountants from offering both auditing and consulting work at the same companies. The Dodd-Corzine bill later became a key part of the landmark Sarbanes-Oxley law, which has help make corporate leaders more accountable to their shareholders and the public.
