Global Feminist Daily News Wire
February-20-97

Labor Leaders Seek Protection Under Welfare Law, Also Back Herman Nomination

Labor leaders, gathered for the annual mid-winter meeting of the AFL-CIO, are demanding that the millions of welfare recipients headed into the workforce receive at least minimum wage. They also demand labor law protections cover the so-called "workfare" recipients. Officials fear that if labor laws do not protect these new workers, state and local governments will use them to replace existing job-holders more cheaply. In a resolution, the AFL-CIO wrote, "Real welfare reform must not take job opportunities away from people who already have them." The Labor Department is currently in the process of determining whether federal labor laws cover welfare recipients who are working in public jobs in exchange for continued benefits.

At the conference, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney also expressed outrage at the continued delay of the Alexis Herman confirmation hearings for Secretary of Labor. He announced that the federation’s executive council had approved a resolution in support of Herman. The executive council resolution said, "The AFL-CIO calls for immediate hearings on the nomination of this African American Woman. It is time for Alexis Herman to be able to stand in an open forum and have her nomination considered by the United States Senate.

Media Resources: The Washington Post - February 20, 1997

Feminist.org: Your daily source for the feminist perspective on national and global events.