What the Democratic win means “Yes, Democratic control of Congress benefits the United Transportation Union and others in rail labor; but it is not an assurance of improved wages, benefits and working conditions our members have earned and deserve,” said UTU International President Paul Thompson.
“Democratic control of Congress,” Thompson said, “means legislative issues important to the UTU and others in rail labor will be addressed – and that is a significant improvement over the past 10 years when anti-labor conservatives were in control of Congress.
More than 60 percent of the candidates endorsed by the UTU -- Democrats and Republicans, and all labor friendly -- won their congressional elections. To view a listing of UTU-endorsed candidates, click here. Candidates that are highlighted in green won their respective races.
“Still, there remain in the House and Senate many powerful lawmakers with anti-labor views who are expert at manipulating the legislative process to slow and block labor-friendly initiatives,” Thompson said.
UTU National Legislative Director James Brunkenhoefer said the UTU will “continue working with our many friends on the Republican side, and we will be working even more closely with the new Democratic majority and leadership. We have had for many years a special relationship with many of the new Democratic leaders – a special relationship that has grown out of our ballot-box support and contributions from the UTU PAC,” Brunkenhoefer said.
Thompson and Brunkenhoefer emphasized that the most important number in the upcoming 110th Congress is the number 60. “That is the number of votes in the Senate it will take to shutdown a filibuster by anti-labor conservatives,” Brunkenhoefer said.
Democrats will hold a slim 51-49 advantage over Republicans in the Senate when Congress opens for business Jan. 2.
“Among Republicans, there will be friends we can count on; and among Democrats, there will be some whom we cannot count on. Every day will be a struggle to advance labor’s agenda, but that struggle will be significantly less difficult than it has been,” Brunkenhoefer said.
Here are Brunkenhoefer’s insights into the House and Senate leaders in the upcoming 110th Congress:
House of Representatives
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): House speaker Nancy Pelosi has been one of the UTU’s staunchest allies. The speaker is the chief executive officer of the House. Paul Thompson was one of Speaker Pelosi’s special guests at an invitation-only reception on Capitol Hill as ballots were being counted nationwide. She told Thompson that night, “Thank you so much for your help. We won’t forget the UTU.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.): The House majority leader establishes the legislative agenda. For more than 10 years, Rep. Hoyer has been another special friend of the UTU who understands rail labor issues.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.): The majority whip is in daily contact with each Democratic member of the House, seeking support for the leadership’s legislative agenda. Rep. Clyburn, who also is among the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus, has long had a close working relationship with the UTU National Legislative Office and the UTU South Carolina Legislative Office.
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.): This is the House committee in which most rail, bus and airline safety legislation originates, and where legislation to strengthen labor protection in rail line sales will originate. It also is the House committee that authorizes Amtrak and which first considers Presidential Emergency Board recommendations should collective bargaining reach an impasse. Chairman Oberstar’s father was a local officer of his steel workers’ local and, in a story often told by Rep. Oberstar, was buried with a copy of his union contract in his hands.
Railroad Subcommittee Chairman Corrine Brown (D-Fla.): It is in this subcommittee of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee that all rail-related legislation is first considered before being voted “out” to the full committee. Rep. Brown has a close working relationship with the UTU Florida Legislative Office and her brother, a CSX employee, is a UTU member.
House Rules Committee Chairman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.): In the House, no bill may go to the floor for a vote without a rule defining the nature and length of debate. (For this reason, a filibuster cannot occur in the House.) The Rules Committee functions much like a yardmaster and dispatcher. The UTU has supported Rep. Slaughter since she first ran for Congress more than a decade ago.
Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wisc.): The Appropriations Committee is where legislation to fund Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration, National Mediation Board and National Labor Relations Board originates. The UTU National Legislative Office and UTU Wisconsin Legislative Office have long worked closely with Rep. Obey.
House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.): The Ways & Means Committee first considers changes to all tax legislation, including Railroad Retirement taxes. Rep. Rangel is another close friend of the UTU.
Senate
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.): The Senate majority leader establishes the legislative agenda. Sen. Reid, in his fourth six-year Senate term, has been a UTU friend since he was in the House. During one Senate election campaign, he used the UTU Membership I bus to travel his state.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.): The majority whip is in daily contact with each Democratic member of the Senate, seeking support for the leadership’s legislative agenda and helping to determine which bills move to the Senate floor for a vote. UTU Illinois Legislative Director Joe Szabo, a long-time close friend of Sen. Durbin, says, “His father worked in the yard for the former New York Central Railroad; his uncle for the Pennsylvania Railroad. His mother ran the New York Central switchboard. When Dick was a college student, he worked summers as a railroad clerk. The family depended on the railroad for its income, and later Railroad Retirement. The Durbin family understood from experience the good, the bad and the ugly about railroad employment.”
Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii): This is the Senate committee that considers most rail, bus and airline safety legislation. It also is where Amtrak authorizing legislation originates. One doesn’t think about railroads when one mentions Hawaii, but Hawaii is the leading pro-labor state in the union and Sen. Inouye is a long and loyal friend of working families.
Labor Committee Chairman Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.): The Labor Committee is where changes to Railroad Retirement and the Railway Labor Act originate, and where Presidential Emergency Board recommendations are first heard should collective bargaining reach an impasse. The committee also holds confirmation hearings into White House nominations for the National Mediation Board and National Labor Relations Board. Labor has no better friend in Congress than Sen. Kennedy.
Appropriations Committee Chairman Harry Byrd (D-W.Va.): The Appropriations Committee is where legislation to fund Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration, National Mediation Board and National Labor Relations Board originates. Sen. Byrd, serving his eighth six-year term in the Senate, was first elected to the House more than 50 years ago with labor’s support, and he has continued to earn labor’s support every year since. He is a staunch supporter of Amtrak.
Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.): The Finance Committee, like the House Ways and Means Committee, first considers changes to all tax legislation, including Railroad Retirement taxes. UTU Montana Legislative Director Fran Marceau is a long-time close friend of Sen. Baucus.
November 23, 2006
