Elder Economic Security Initiative™
Greetings Friend,
In This Issue
House passes bill to combat wage discrimination
Labor Secretary speaks on importance to secure jobs for lower-income Americans
Confirmation hearing from Secretary of Labor nominee, Rep. Solis
Elders length of stay in the workforce
Increasing Social Security despite less funding
LTC planning
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Keeping Elders at Home
Obama looks to Contain Federal Spending on Medicare, Social Security
Problem with 'reducing poverty'
Volunteer Elders Get Tax Breaks
Elder Economic Security Initiative
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- WOW Team
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WOW congratulates the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives on the vote today to pass legislation designed to strengthen the ability of workers to combat wage discrimination. Thanks to Speaker of the House Pelosi (CA), Representative DeLauro (CT) and Representative Miller (CA) this measure has passed in the House and is on its way to the Senate. The measure, H.R. 11, the “Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act”, is designed to reverse a 2007 Supreme Court decision that made it impossible for workers to sue for wage discrimination they discovered only years after it initially occurred. It passed 247-171. At the same time, the House voted 256-163 for H.R. 12, which would require employers seeking to justify unequal pay for male and female workers to prove that such disparities are job-related and required by a business necessity. It would bar retaliation by employers against employees who share salary information with their co-workers, and allow workers to collect both compensatory and punitive damages. The two bills were rolled into H.R. 11 upon passage and sent to the Senate, where the timing is uncertain.
Feeling the pressure from President-elect Obama and others to engage in a more inclusive process for drafting the recovery plan, Democratic leaders signaled their intention to give Republicans more input through hearings, markups and other legislative sessions. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) said that he plans to hold a markup on tax provisions, perhaps as early as next year. Hearings are expected in the House Ways and Means and Appropriations Committees. The overall size of the package has not been finally determined, but something in the neighborhood of $775 billion over two years (in combined direct spending and tax expenditures) is in the target range.
In The Administration/Transition
Former representative Hilda Solis (D-CA) went before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today for a hearing on her nomination to be Secretary of Labor in the Obama Administration. At the hearing, Solis said: “My vision for the Department of Labor is rooted in who I am. If confirmed, I will work with President-elect Obama’s team to restore hope for working families.” Solis outlined a four point package of initiatives on which she hopes to focus: a job training program that gives special attention to high-growth industries and “green collar” jobs; improving safety and fairness in the workplace (which she defines as including worksite safety measures, fair pay, and expansion of family and medical benefits); protection of pensions and retirement savings; and support for fairness and diversity in the Labor Department’s overall mission.
Resources
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Center for Retirement Research at Boston College: Can the Bottom Third Work Longer?
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Urban Institute: LIVE Audio Webcast, “A New Safety Net for Working Families: Assets for Economic Security”
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The Columbus Dispatch (OH): Buyer Beware on Long-term Care
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The Daily Citizen (GA): Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, No Cakewalk
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Greenwich Time (CT): Plan Aims to Keep Seniors at Home
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New York Times: Obama Promises Bid to Overhaul Retiree Spending
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Philadelphia Daily News: 'Reducing Poverty' is the Wrong Goal
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Portland Press Herald (ME): Help out Town, get Discount on Taxes
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Great Blog Post from the New Old Age: An Unpaid Work Force With Unpaid Bills
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