On the recordNovember 7, 2017
I thank Ranking Member Scott for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3441, which is falsely called Save Local Business Act. The new name should be ``Crush Local Workers Act.'' I am happy to work with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I look forward to helping small businesses and helping them raise wages, but this bill does neither. It empowers corporations, and it depresses wages. Employers are relying more and more on subcontractors and permanent temporaries. These temporary staffing agencies employ around 3 million people. That is about one-fifth of all the new jobs created since 2009. I have fought to raise wages for over two decades for workers. This bill lets corporations keep wages low by subcontracting out their work. They are subcontracting their conscience to put profits over people. This bill makes it nearly impossible for workers to hold temporary staffing agencies responsible for unfair labor practices or wage theft. It denies employees a voice in the workplace. It prevents workers from joining unions, collective bargaining, which go ultimately to help raise wages. We should be lifting workers' wages up, not trying to crush them. I will remind our colleagues that, from 1930 to 1984, the courts were the ones who were making these joint employer decisions, and it was Ronald Reagan's administration who first made this change. It was the Reagan administration who first made this change.…
