Edward M. Kennedy: “it is an honor to join Senator Metzenbaum in introducing the Reemployment and Retraining Act of 1994. This legislation…”

“it is an honor to join Senator Metzenbaum in introducing the Reemployment and Retraining Act of 1994. This legislation, which was developed by the Clinton administration after extensive consultation with key leaders around the country, addresses an issue of critical importance to our economic future: The need for an effective system to ensure that workers who are bearing the brunt of the rapid structural changes in the economy get the services they need to enable them to secure new jobs at decent wages. We have all heard the encouraging news about the increasing pace of economic recovery. Unemployment is down, production and productivity are up, and nearly 2 million new jobs have been created in just the last 13 months. The administration's economic program and deficit reduction strategy are clearly producing results. But these positive signs of recovery exist side by side with other compelling data that tell us that for working Americans, the landscape is still bleak. Wages are stagnant--and in some sectors still falling. Large companies continue to downsize, shedding workers at a record pace. Long-term unemployment--the percent of unemployed workers who have been out of work for more than 6 months--remains at a postwar high. And more than three out of every four workers who lost their jobs last year were permanently--not temporarily--laid off.”