George Miller

It is, without question, one of the most important hearings that we will have, and one of the most important hearings that I think that I have been a party to.

The legislation that is under consideration this morning is really designed to address many of the things that you have mentioned.

But when the people of California looked at the facts, they want to vote it down today.

We know that homelessness puts kids at a much higher risk of educational failure.

I can't tell you how important it is that Congress hears directly on the realities that you and your families face because of the lack of adequate housing.

That would be our goal, that we would try to avoid that. And we are trying to make those adjustments now in looking at how we would manage other changes in the committee to hold onto the personnel.

The committee needs sufficient funding, not only to conduct the normal legislative and oversight business but also to be able to deal with sudden critical needs.

Well, we have been able to do it in the past. I mean, hopefully, we won't have mine explosions and oil spills and any of these kinds of problems, and we will be able to do it.

I really believe that it really, really strips the rights of workers under the laws that have served both employers and employees well for many, many years is--now at risk of being destroyed by this legislation.

Instead of addressing their concerns, we are discussing a bill that should be more appropriately named the 'Election Prevention Act' because it does just that.

The practical impact of this change is that employers are going to find it much easier to gerrymander elections.

It does create a lot of work for union-busting law firms. They get to file frivolous appeals on the taxpayer dime.

Of course, this is complete nonsense. Our nation's workers exercising their rights did not cause our current economic problems.

Today this committee meets for the fifth time this year on the issues relating to the National Labor Relations Board.

This bill does not help a single laid off worker get retained in a new career, and it does not create a single construction job or an education job.

That is how workers get rights at work. That is how workers get a safe workplace, that is how they get a decent wage, that is how they get decent hours, decent benefits, and decent conditions.

The longer we ignore the millions of Americas struggling in this economy the worse that economy will get--more foreclosures, more layoffs, and higher deficits.

It is hard to see how you keep out the issues that Mr. Cohen has suggested would never be raised.

It seems to me that you have done exactly what many have sought to do over the years.

That is precisely why I asked this committee to take immediate action on President Obama's job bill nearly a month ago.

You can choose not to do any of these activities, including joining and remaining a member of the union.

But we act like posting is un-American.

Congress cannot stand by and allow an unelected board to wreak havoc on our workforce. We must stand up and do the job we were sent here to do.

The goal of the board's activism is clear: To expand the power of Big Labor by swelling the ranks of unionized workers, whatever the costs to the American people.

will the workers in South Carolina have less protection than workers in Washington State?