Focusing on Working Families

Floor Speech

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Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, about 1 year ago, Speaker Boehner
and Senate Majority Leader McConnell described a vision for the 114th
Congress. It included ``focusing first on jobs and the economy.'' They
looked forward to helping middle class Americans ``frustrated by an
increasing lack of opportunity, the stagnation of wages, and a
government that seems incapable of performing even basic tasks.''

In the time since, they have done nothing but protect big businesses
enjoy record profits, attack immigrants, and help polluters continue
the destruction of our environment.

This body has voted four times in support of the Confederate battle
flag, but we have taken no votes on legislation that will level the
playing field for working Americans. This body has voted against a solid, long-term
transportation and infrastructure bill five times, and we have taken no
votes on legislation to boost American wages. This body has voted
countless times to undermine the Affordable Care Act or endanger
women's access to health care, but we have taken no votes on
legislation to help families balance the needs of work and their
personal lives. That is in spite of statements from Members like the
Republican nominee for Speaker who just last week indicated he wouldn't
run for the position unless he would be allowed to set aside time to
spend with his family.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I are here on the floor tonight to
call for a shift in focus. We were elected to ensure everyday Americans
have a fighting chance and opportunities to succeed. We need to change
gears to get to work on an agenda for working families. We need to pass
legislation that would give workers the ability to balance work and
family needs, bills like the Healthy Families Act, the Family and
Medical Insurance Leave Act, the Schedules That Work Act, and the
Strong Start for America's Children Act. We need to pass legislation
that will give workers paychecks that actually give them a chance to
make ends meet, bills like the Raise the Wage Act, the WAGE Act, and
the Payroll Fraud Prevention Act.

We need to pass legislation that will give every American a chance to
succeed and climb into the middle class regardless of gender, sexual
orientation, or any other quality, bills like the Paycheck Fairness
Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and the Equality Act.

Tonight, Mr. Speaker, you will hear stories from across the country
of working families who have played by the rules and worked for long
hours and still can't seem to make it work. These experiences are
shared with countless others from my district in New Jersey all the way
across the Nation to California.
I hope that my colleagues are ready to listen, and, more importantly,
I hope they are ready to act.
It is my pleasure to yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr.
Ellison).

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Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Thank you very much. As always, you have shared
information with us which is illuminating and edifying and, hopefully,
convincing of our colleagues that they shall adhere to those things
that you were suggesting and recommending.

Mr. Speaker, one of the stories tonight that I have comes from
Armando in New Brunswick, New Jersey. For 3\1/2\ years, Armando worked
at a gas station 7 days a week on the night shift. He got one day off
every 3 months. Despite working 46 hours each week, he didn't get
overtime pay.

In 2007, when his wife Silvia developed eye problems that required a
number of doctors' appointments, Armando's request to leave work early
to help with her treatment and recovery was denied.

In order to care for his wife, Armando would come in from work at 6
a.m., leave at 7 a.m. to head to the hospital with Silvia, return home
at 7 p.m., and sleep for just 2 hours before doing it all over again.
When he filed a complaint with the Department of Labor, Armando lost
his job. On his way out the door, Armando's employer told him he was a
good worker. He liked his work, but not the complaint.

Mr. Speaker, no one should have to endure this. No one should have to
work endlessly with just 4 days off each year just to make ends meet.
No one should have to choose between caring for a loved one and losing
his or her job.

I would like to take this opportunity and share another story with
you from New Jersey. This story comes from Josefa, also from New
Brunswick, New Jersey. She works in a restaurant in the kitchen and
occasionally as a cashier.

When Josefa became pregnant, she had to take 2 months off of work
without pay. When she returned, she asked for the morning shift so that
she could go home to be with her newborn baby.
They obliged her request, but 2 weeks later they moved her to a 5
p.m. to 9 p.m. shift. With so few hours and traveling long distances to
get to the restaurant, Josefa was stuck. She asked her boss for more
hours, not a raise or a handout, but the chance to work enough hours to
make ends meet.

Despite 5 years in her job, Josefa was told that, if she didn't like
it, she could leave.

In Josefa's own words: ``I was a single mom, so it was very
difficult; and things like this don't just happen to me--they happen to
many others. We just make enough to pay the babysitter and rent, but
there are so many expenses.''

Mr. Speaker, in the greatest Nation in the world, which we are, we
can--and we must--do better. We must stand up for those hardworking
Americans who don't want a handout but who simply want a level playing
field. We have got to stand up for those working Americans who have to
work 46 hours a week, who get 3 or 4 days a year off, who are not able
to make the decision to be able to care for a sick child, a sick
spouse, or a sick parent.

We can do better than that. It doesn't take a lot for us to simply be
decent to those who hold up our economy, who do the jobs that we take
for granted every single, solitary day; but without those jobs, we
would see what is lacking in our lives.

So I ask, Mr. Speaker, that our colleagues in this House--and
particularly on the other side of the aisle--spend some time reflecting
on what little it is they need to do to simply give our working
Americans a fair shake, a fair chance, time with their families, and
time to be able to bring their families into the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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