Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of En Bloc Amendment number eight, which includes my amendment to reaffirm Amtrak's legal obligations under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.

The WARN Act was created to protect workers and their families by requiring certain employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of mass layoffs. As many of my constituents learned first-hand, having advance notice of a major staffing decision is essential for employees so they can make thoughtful and deliberate decisions about their future and the future of their families.

Last year, Amtrak shuttered a reservation call center in my district. Hundreds of my constituents and their families had just 60 days' notice before having to decide whether to uproot their lives and accept another Amtrak job across the country--or accept a meager severance package and keep their families rooted in the community they grew up in and love. It was part of Amtrak's tactic to only meet the statutory requirement of providing 60 days' notice under the WARN Act and force attrition by applying pressure on its employees. Today, we must go further to protect these workers.

Congress must reaffirm the legal requirements under the WARN Act, but also strengthen these protections to ensure that workers have more advance notice of executive decisions that will impact their lives. Congress must also ensure that the penalties for violating this law will send a clear message to employers that this anti-worker behavior will not be tolerated.

Mr. Chair, I thank Representatives Ken Calvert, Brendan Boyle, and Paul Cook for joining me in putting forth this bipartisan amendment and I look forward to building on these protections for workers all across the United States.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source