Political Quotes

“I say thank you to Senator Manchin. We are joined by Senator Capito, Senator Warren, and I know, in spirit, a number of others. I think Senator Casey will be here in a few minutes. I join them to remind this body--it is a constant reminder--that more than 86,000 miners--86,000 miners--are on the verge of facing massive cuts to the pensions and healthcare they earned. This body doesn't always remember what collective bargaining is all about. Collective bargaining is when union members sit down and give up wages today to have something for the future, to have healthcare and to have retirement in the future. Of those 86,000 miners, 1,200 miners and their families could lose their healthcare this month because of the Westmoreland and Mission Coal bankruptcies. The bankruptcy courts could allow these corporations to ``shed their liabilities,'' which is a fancy way of saying walk away from paying miners the pensions and the healthcare benefits they absolutely earned. Senator Manchin is working to fix this. I thank him for his efforts, and I thank others in this body. We know the mine workers aren't alone. The retirement security of hundreds of thousands of teamsters, ironworkers, carpenters, bakery workers, and so many other retirees is at risk. We know this affects, in my State alone, 250 businesses, mostly small construction and transportation companies, 60,000 workers in my State alone, and the health of communities.…”