The 2008 election has been without a doubt one of the most historical elections in American history. From the prolonged primaries and extraordinary voter turnout, to the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States this election has been transcendent.
Given the results of yesterday’s election, the landscape ahead is becoming clearer. As such, the following is an initial take on the road ahead for workforce issues in the new Congress.
Health Care
President-elect Barack Obama campaigned on a platform that included universal access to health insurance. Unlike the position taken by some other Democrats, the president-elect would build on the current employer-sponsored system of coverage, which provides more than 174 million people access to health care benefits. However, his plan includes a "pay-or-play" health care mandate that would require all employers to contribute towards health coverage for their employees or towards the cost of the public plan.
Rather than tackle systemic reform, he seeks to achieve this goal in incremental steps, beginning with a mandate that all children have health care coverage. He also proposes a number of insurance market reforms.
For those without health insurance, he proposes a new, government-run health plan as well as subsidies for those who need them. The cost of his proposal would be offset primarily by increasing taxes on wealthier Americans and also by reducing payments to private health plans that serve Medicare beneficiaries.
RILA will continue to be a lead advocate for the current federal regulatory framework, governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which allows retailers and other employers to offer their employees access to quality, affordable care on a national basis. View our one-pager on the health care legislative priorities of the next Congress.
Workforce
RILA expects that the Obama Administration, joined by an increased majority of Democrats in Congress, will attempt a wide range of labor law reforms over the next two years. Its top priority is passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, or “card check” bill, which, if passed, would mark the most radical shift in labor policy in more than 60 years. Among its provisions, the legislation effectively removes secret ballot elections, a cornerstone of our democracy. Instead, unions will be able to organize once a simple majority of employees in a bargaining unit sign pro-union cards. Solicitation of these cards would occur in the open subjecting workers to coercion and harassment from organizers and colleagues. Additionally, the proposal hastens collective bargaining and preferring compulsory binding arbitration as an alternative means for unions to ensure a first contract. Federal arbitrators with little or no previous experience with the industry or the company would be tasked with imposing wage, benefit and work condition rules without manager or employee input or ratification. This bill is the top priority of Big Labor and may be voted on in the early days of the new administration.
Other anticipated reform efforts include employer mandates for ergonomic workspaces and for expanded Family and Medical Leave Act benefits.
RILA will continue working with elected leaders to advocate for the flexible schedules, competitive wages, upward mobility and diverse workforce that retailers already embrace as a part of our culture. View our one-pager on workforce legislative priorities in the next Congress.