I’ve spent my entire career fighting for workers and their families. And as a dues-paying member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, I’m continuing this fight in Congress, where I’m focused on passing the PRO Act to protect workers’ rights and improving pathways to good-paying jobs in Central and Southern Illinois.
- After Akorn Pharmaceuticals left working families high and dry with a surprise closure of their Decatur facility, I introduced the Fair Warning Act to strengthen advance notice requirements and ensure that companies are treating working people with the dignity and respect they deserve. I also worked with state and local leaders to successfully attract a new employer to restore jobs at the facility.
- When U.S. Steel tried to use a legal loophole to avoid providing advance layoff notice to 400 Granite City Works employees, I worked with the Governor to secure an investigation by the Illinois Department of Labor. After calling the company out for their actions, they agreed to provide the impacted workers with additional support.
- During my first 100 days in Congress, I introduced bipartisan legislation to help address the job skills gap by supporting the apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs that get folks ready for careers in growing industries. My Leveraging and Energizing America’s Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act will provide tax credits to small businesses to address both the need for more qualified workers and the need to cut educational costs for job seekers – a win-win for employers and employees.
- After hearing about the high upfront cost of purchasing tools for folks interested in pursuing a career in the building trades, I introduced the bipartisan Tools Tax Deduction Act to make it easier for apprenticeship employees and construction workers to afford the equipment their jobs require.
- When our service members return home, it’s critical that we help them find good-paying careers. I’ve introduced bipartisan legislation to expand veterans’ access to jobs in science, technology and health care by making it easier to access STEM scholarships. I’m hopeful that this bill will help us to fill high-demand jobs while ensuring that our heroes have pathways to new careers.
- We’re continuing to face a child care crisis across this country, and our child care workers need urgent help. The child care workforce has been among the slowest sectors to recover from the pandemic, and their wages remain unacceptably low. I’ve been proud to champion investments in our child care system — joining a letterurgingHouse Leadership to extend critical Child Care Stabilization Grants and cosponsoring the Child Care Stabilization Act to provide additional funding to support child care programs and workers.
