National labor organization proposes agenda for worker rights
AFL-CIO
We
urge the Biden administration and Congress to seize this opportunity to
transform the lives of working people through bold, structural change, starting
with the following five priorities:
5 Priorities for 2021
I.
WORKER EMPOWERMENT
Because
stronger unions are essential to addressing the multiple crises facing America,
we will urge the new administration to have a plan ready on Day One to enact
the PRO Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act; create an
interagency task force on collective bargaining; and rescind executive orders
undermining collective bargaining.
II.
WORKER SAFETY AND THE PANDEMIC
The
most immediate focus of 2021 will be bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under
control, starting by guaranteeing access for all workers to free vaccines and
rapid testing; issuing emergency COVID-19 standards from the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration and Mine Safety and Health Administration;
signing an executive order under the Defense Production Act to ensure adequate
supply of personal protective equipment; and ensuring paid sick days, paid
family leave and child care for all workers.
III.
GOOD JOBS AND PUBLIC INVESTMENT
The first order of legislative business in 2021 will be the next COVID-19 bill, which must include $1 trillion in flexible grants for state and local governments. But we must begin now to focus on “building back better,” starting with a multitrillion-dollar infrastructure package and federal labor standards and domestic sourcing requirements for clean energy projects.
Other priorities
for promoting good jobs include rescinding the Trump Labor Department’s
anti-worker regulations; raising labor standards for all jobs supported by
federal funding; eradicating workplace discrimination; reforming Wall Street;
making the global economy work for working people; building a more just
immigration system; increasing public investment; and making the wealthy and
big corporations pay their fair share in taxes.
IV.
RACIAL JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY
The
racial justice crisis is intimately connected to the ongoing public health and
economic crises. We will urge the administration to appoint a “racial equity
czar” to lead an interagency task force to survey and address the structural
racial equity issues in jobs, health care, criminal justice and policing that
have become more apparent during the ongoing COVID-19 crises. The Jan. 6 attack
on the U.S. Capitol also underscored the pressing need for racial justice and
democracy reform.
V.
ECONOMIC SECURITY
We
will urge Congress and the new administration to address America’s continuing
economic security crisis by providing pension funding relief; increasing Social
Security benefits across the board; reducing prescription drug prices; lowering
the Medicare eligibility age to 50; creating a public option; strengthening the
Affordable Care Act; rebuilding the unemployment insurance system; and
establishing postal banking.