Welcome, New Members of Congress!

by Mike Hall, Jan 8, 2009

Sen. Kay Hagen, who defeated Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina, and Rep. Paul Tonko of New York are among the new members of Congress who joined members of the AFL-CIO union movement at a reception in their honor.

Before getting down to the serious business of fair pay legislation, the Employee Free Choice Act, economic recovery and a whole host of other issues to change the nation’s stumbling direction after eight years of Bush rule, dozens of new members of Congress, and some veterans, got together with the labor movement last night.

At the AFL-CIO-sponsored reception at a Capitol Hill hotel, lawmakers, union leaders and legislative representatives mingled and talked about how a larger working family majority in both houses will impact upcoming legislative battles. In his welcoming remarks, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said:

We know what our priorities are and we know how committed each and everyone of you are, as is the president of the United States, to the working family agenda.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told the crowd:

On behalf of the speaker [Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)] and myself, we will never forget, we will look forward to going forward shoulder to shoulder, paycheck to equitable paycheck. I will tell you this as well, when people say they want to be a member of a union and sign up, we’re going to make sure that they have the ability to be a member of a union.

Pointing to the need for fast action to restore the freedom of workers to form unions and bargain for a better life, freshman Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) said:

The voices of our working families, our workers have been held down and held back over the past decade and a half. We need to move forward aggressively with issues like the Employee Free Choice sooner rather than later. Let’s get it going.

There was also lots of discussion of about the close relationships many of the new senators and representatives developed with union members back home as they worked side by side in some incredibly tough races. Said Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), who unseated high-profile incumbent Elizabeth Dole:

This would not have been possible for me to be here tonight without all of the help of you and your organizations…the weekend before the election a lot of people came in and canvassed in North Carolina and it was a nasty weekend but you made the difference and I really appreciate it.

With your help and support, we really are going to turn this country around and also with your help and support, we were able to give Miss Libby Dole a pair of ruby red slippers.

In Oregon, two-term incumbent Gordon Smith’s Senate seat was thought to be safely Republican, thanks to his big campaign treasure chest and loads of help from the national Republican Party. But, says new Sen. Jeff Merkley (D), Oregon’s working families had something to say about that.

While Gordon Smith was hammering me on TV, you all were working with the people of Oregon on the ground, on the doors, on the phone and that’s how we won this election. And that’s what we’re going to do now,  work door to door and rebuild this country so we have a country that works for working Americans.

Tomorrow, that rebuilding starts when the House will vote on two bills to protect workers paychecks—-the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act.

A tip of the hat to Reggie Cole, AFL-CIO Broadcast Division manager, for her help in compiling this story.

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