Wellstone Is Pushing Legislation To Provide Economic Security to America's Working Families.
In the debate over economic security legislation, Paul Wellstone sides with working families over large, multi-national corporations and their executives.  Wellstone introduced the 'Wellstone Workforce Recovery' bill, which provides tax breaks for working families, an extension of unemployment insurance and health care benefits for laid-off workers, $2 billion in new job training programs, additional funding for child care, and relief for small business.  Wellstone opposes Republican attempts to give millions of dollars in tax breaks to large multi-national corporations as a way to provide economic security. 

Wellstone Has Pushed For A 'Right to Organize' Measure, Which Would Have Strengthened the Right of Workers to Organize.
Paul Wellstone sponsored and pushed for passage of national 'Right to Organize' legislation during the 105^th and 106^th Congress. The bill would strengthen the right of workers to associate, organize, and strike.  It would also guarantee organizers access to the employer's premises, and the right to use employer's bulletin boards, mailboxes, and other communications media to contact workers.  Retailers who hold on-premise meetings with employees to discourage union representation would be required to offer the same soapbox to labor organizers under the bill.

Wellstone Opposed Bush's Executive Orders Designed to Cripple Organized Labor.
Paul Wellstone vigorously opposed President George W. Bush's four executive orders issued in February 2001 that: (1) Reduced the amount of money that goes to organized labor's political funds; (2) Reversed a Clinton policy giving unionized construction companies priority on federally financed projects; (3) Dissolved the National Partnership Council, a Clinton-era effort in which government managers and unions representing federal workers sought to resolve their differences; (4) Eliminated job protections for employees of contractors at federal building projects when the contract is awarded to another company.

Wellstone Opposed An Ashcroft Measure to Scrap America's Overtime Laws.  Paul Wellstone participated in a filibuster of legislation pushed by then-Senator John Ashcroft that called for voluntary agreements between employees and employers allotting an 80-hour work period before any workers could earn overtime. 

Wellstone Led the Fight to Raise the Minimum Wage.
Paul Wellstone led the fight in 1996 to successfully pass an increase in the minimum wage from $4.25 an hour to $5.15 an hour over a two-year period.  Since the increase went into effect, unemployment has actually gone down and hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created.  According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, '[Wellstone] proposed increasing the minimum wage long before it was fashionable.'

On Numerous Occasions, Paul Wellstone Has Introduced Legislation Increasing the Minimum Wage.
Time and time again, Paul Wellstone has been a leader in the fight to raise the minimum wage.  He has introduced legislation on numerous occasions to increase the minimum wage.

Wellstone Introduced Legislation to Protect Retirement Security.
In 1999, Paul Wellstone introduced legislation that would have secured the pension benefits of workers threatened by cash-balancing pension plans increasingly being adopted by hundreds of companies. The measure would have ensured fair treatment of American workers by requiring disclosure, securing pension plan choice, and enforcing the Age Discrimination and Employment Act. In September 1999, the experts testified before Congress that older employees could lose 30 percent or more of their pension benefits when companies switch to 'cash-balanced' pension plans.

Wellstone Voted in Favor of Waiving the Budget Act to Consider a Measure Protecting Older Employees From Losing Value of Pensions.  Paul Wellstone voted in favor of a motion to waive the Budget Act to consider an amendment to the Taxpayer Refund Act of 1999 by Sen. Harkin that would have prohibited the conversion of any defined benefit pension plan for 100 or more employees to a cash balance plan if such a conversion did not meet new mandates regarding the amounts paid into the accounts for older employees.

Wellstone Joined Lawmakers in Bipartisan Effort to Provide Trade Relief for American Steel Industry.  Paul Wellstone signed a bipartisan letter with more than a dozen senators in March 2001 asking President Bush for trade relief on behalf of the American steel industry.  Wellstone and others requested that the Bush administration call for a Section 201 action, which could result in broad quotas and tariffs on a wide range of steel imports.

Wellstone Urged Bush To Continue to Investigate Steel Imports.
In January 2001, Paul Wellstone and Rep. James Oberstar urged President Bush to continue a U.S. Department of Commerce investigation into U.S. imports of iron ore and steel. It was one of President Clinton's final executive orders.  The Commerce Department agreed to continue the investigation.

Wellstone Introduced the Steel Revitalization Act of 2001.
Paul Wellstone and Senator Mark Dayton introduced the Steel Revitalization Act of 2001, which would make more loans available to American steel companies and set restrictions on the imports of iron ore, semifinished steel and finished steel products. The bill would also create a Steelworker Retiree Health Care Fund, administered by the Department of Labor, to help steel companies pay for their retiree's health insurance. It would be funded by a 1.5 percent surcharge on the sale of all products, both imported and domestic. In addition, it would enhance the Steel Loan Guarantee Program, helping steel companies make capital and new technology investments. And, it would establish a $500 million Commerce Department grant to help steel companies defray the cost of environmental mitigation and restructuring as a result of consolidation.

Wellstone Introduced the Taconite Workers Relief Act of 2001.
Paul Wellstone and Senator Mark Dayton introduced the Taconite Workers Relief Act of 2001, which would ensure that the taconite industry benefits fully from U.S. trade laws and that workers who mine the low-grade iron ore qualify for the trade assistance.

Wellstone Opposed Unfair Trade Pacts, Citing American Jobs.
Citing the potential loss of American jobs and the lack of environmental protections in the agreements, Paul Wellstone has continuously opposed unfair trade pacts, from NAFTA to GATT to permanent normal trade relations with China.

Wellstone Opposes Fast-Track Trading Authority.
Paul Wellstone has consistently opposed renewing Fast-Track trading authority, which would allow the White House to negotiate trade pacts with other countries without the approval of Congress.

Wellstone Voted Against A Measure Disapproving of Ergonomics Rule.
In March 2001, Paul Wellstone voted against a Senate Joint Resolution disapproving of the ergonomics rule submitted by the Department of Labor.

Wellstone Sponsored the Safety and Health Whistleblower Protection Act.
Paul Wellstone sponsored and pushed for passage of the Safety and Health Whistleblower Protection Act, which would have given the Department of Labor greater authority to force the rehiring of workers who are fired for filing OSHA health and safety complaints against employers. The bill would have also extended the current deadline for filing complaints to 180 days and would have required the Secretary of Labor to conduct an investigation of complaints within 90 days.