On September 16, members of Congress, led by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), proposed the Workplace Action for a Growing Economy (WAGE) Act. The WAGE Act will amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to strengthen worker protections. The legislation would strengthen protections for workers who join together with their co-workers to win improvements at work. It would discourage employer retaliation against workers for exercising their rights and assure prompt, fair remedies for workers. This bill to make labor law enforcement more effective is one of many reforms that are needed in order to give American workers a fair shot at winning the wages and working conditions they deserve.
The WAGE Act will strengthen protections for workers by:
- Providing swift temporary reinstatement when workers are fired or retaliated against for exercising their rights to join together to seek improvements on the job.
- Strengthening the remedies for workers who are fired or retaliated against, and give workers the ability to bring their case directly to court.
- Establishing strong penalties against employers who violate workers’ rights.
- Providing real, meaningful, timely remedies when employers interfere with fair elections.
- Streamlining the NLRB’s processes.
- Improving workers’ knowledge of their rights.