James M. Jeffords: “I have come to speak on the TEAM Act. I do so because I feel very strongly that there is a misunderstanding as to what…”

“I have come to speak on the TEAM Act. I do so because I feel very strongly that there is a misunderstanding as to what we are discussing, the importance of it to this country, and that if we sat back and took a look at where we are and what we are talking about and understood the ramifications, there would be unanimous support for the TEAM Act. I come to you with somewhat of a different perspective than some of my colleagues. I earlier today supported the minimum wage. I am not one who has anything but respect for the various positions of labor versus management. Sometimes I am with one; sometimes I am with the other. On this one, I am strongly in favor of doing what must be done to improve this Nation's productivity, and that is what we are talking about here--this Nation's productivity--for if there is no productivity, there is no profit. If there is no profit, then there is nothing for the workers and the management to split up for the owners and the stockholders. So I come here as an original cosponsor of the TEAM Act because I believe that cooperation between employers and employees is the wave of the future.”