Republicans Block Workers’ Rights, Social Security, Mine Safety Bills

Living up to its reputation as the party of “No,” Republican lawmakers yesterday blocked action on a Social Security cost of living supplement, stalled collective bargaining rights for public safety officers and stonewalled stronger mine safety laws. Republican leaders have vowed to halt all Senate action until the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy [1] are brought to a vote.

But the House did pass the Dream Act [2], 218-198, and the Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill (S. 3992) today. We’ll keep you updated.  The Senate also is expected to vote on the 9/11 first responders health care bill [3] (H.R. 847).

In the Senate, the Social Security (S. 3985) and the collective bargaining (S.3991) bills required 60 votes to end Republicans filibusters.

Seniors have gone two years in a row without a cost of living adjustment.  Alliance for Retired Americans [4] Executive Director Edward C. Coyle says the vote (53-45 [5]) to deny the cost of living adjustment (COLA) was “height of callous hypocrisy.”

In a week defined by tax cuts for millionaires, retirees are stunned and outraged that Congress would reject a one-time $250 payment to seniors…This legislation is critical to retirees, but unfortunately, congressional Republicans overwhelmingly chose to oppose it.  While Democrats continue to protect Social Security, Republicans continue to advocate risky schemes to privatize it and cut benefits.  America’s seniors deserve better.

Not a single Republican broke ranks, but Sen. Joe Lieberman, (I-Conn.), and four Democrats voted to block the cost of living adjustment: Sen. Russ Feingold (Wis.), Sen. Mark Udall (Colo.), Sen. Kay Hagan (N.C.) and Sen. Mark Warner (Va.).

The collective bargaining bill would protect the freedom of firefighters and other public safety officers to join unions. More than 20 states do not fully protect those bargaining rights, and two states—Virginia and North Carolina—prohibit public safety employees from collectively bargaining

Fire Fighter (IAFF [6]) Presidents Harold Schaitberger says “It’s a sad day in America when the rights of firefighters are ignored in favor of tax breaks for millionaires.”

The Senate is being deeply irresponsible. Failing to extend the collective bargaining rights that firefighters deserve because they can’t reach an agreement on tax breaks is shameful.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says:

By standing in the way of the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, Republican senators are continuing to deny basic rights on the job to firefighters on the front lines who keep our communities safe.

The vote on the bill was 55-43 with Hagan, Warner and Sen. Michael Bennett (D-Colo.) joinimg Republicans to kill the bill.

The mine safety bill in the House won majority support, 214-193, [7] but the bill was considered under a procedure called “suspension of the rules” which requires a two-thirds majority necessary to pass.

The bill (H.R. 6495) would have given the Mine Safety and Health Administration powerful new tools to keep miners safe and hold mine operators accountable for putting their workers in dangers.  Says Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the Education and Labor Committee:

I am deeply disappointed that Republicans turned their backs on those who work in mines every day, 600 of whom who have died in the last decade. As other mine tragedies have show us in the past, inaction today is paid for with the lives of hard-working miners tomorrow.