View Brown's Speech at OSU HERE.
Read Brown's Remarks as Prepared for Delivery HERE.
COLUMBUS, OH – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) unveiled a new plan to restore the value of work in America during a speech at The Ohio State University’s Glenn College of Public Affairs today. The plan, entitled, WORKING TOO HARD FOR TOO LITTLE: A Plan for Restoring the Value of Work in America, is available here.
Brown’s plan will make hard work pay off once again by doing four things:
1. Raising workers’ wages and benefits
2. Giving workers more power in the workplace
3. Making it possible for more workers to save for retirement
4. Encouraging more companies to invest in their workforces
“Hard work doesn’t pay off like it used to. Wages and benefits have declined or stagnated for American workers for decades. People earn less, people can’t save for retirement, and people feel less stable – all while working harder and producing more than ever before. We need to update our economic policies, our retirement policies, and our labor laws to reflect today’s reality,” Brown said.
“When I talk about workers, I’m talking about all workers –whether you punch a time sheet or make a salary or earn tips. Whether you’re a contract worker or a temp. Whether you work in a call center or a bank or on a factory floor.
“When we talk about work, we talk to everyone. When we restore value to work, we will make our country a better place for every single American. That’s what this plan aims to do.”
Complete text of Brown’s speech today is attached.
For more than a year, Brown and his office have studied the challenges facing workers in Ohio and across the country and found compiled a comprehensive agenda of solutions.
“We need to change the way we think about the American economy. It’s not businesses who drive the economy – it’s workers. We grow the economy from the middle class out,” Brown said. “If work isn’t valued, Americans can’t earn their way to a better life for their families – no matter how hard they work. And without a strong, growing middle class to consume goods and services, our economy simply can’t grow.”
Brown and his office have been working on this plan since the fall of 2015. Some of the policies outlined in Brown’s plan are new ideas. Others Democrats have talked about before, but they’ve never been laid out as part of a broader agenda to restore the value of work for all Americans.
Over the next several months, Brown will be introducing specific pieces of legislation to implement his plan.
Summary
WORKING TOO HARD FOR TOO LITTLE:
A Plan for Restoring the Value of Work in America
Read the complete plan here.
1. Raise workers’ wages and benefits:
2. Give workers more power in the workplace:
3. Make it possible for more workers to save for retirement:
4. Encourage companies to invest in their workforces:
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