RELEASE: Gottheimer Joins Passaic County Central Labor Council’s Future Leaders Forum Breakfast, Celebrates Men and Women of Labor

Above: Gottheimer with Passaic County labor leaders

PATERSON, NJ — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) joined hardworking men and women of labor from across Passaic County at the Central Labor Council’s 11th Annual Future Labor Leaders Forum Breakfast. The breakfast honors emerging labor leaders who have completed continuing education programs and policymakers who have a track record of supporting the labor movement.

A recording of Gottheimer’s remarks can be found here.

“Let me be clear: Jersey doesn’t work without the hardworking men and women of labor, who built our great state and helped create the most competitive workforce in the world,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), a member of the Congressional Labor Caucus. “We must invest in Jersey’s future — in building, growth, and opportunity. But right now, too many families and businesses are being priced out because our state is simply too expensive. In Washington, I’m fighting to deliver better wages, more job opportunities, and to make life more affordable for hardworking Jersey families.”

Gottheimer was joined at the breakfast by Congresswoman Nellie Pou (NJ-9), Passaic County Central Labor Council President Tom Kelly (IBEW #827), Passaic County Central Labor Council Director of COPE Pat Glover (IBEW 827), Senator Benjie Wimberly (LD 35), Assemblywoman Rosy Bagolie (LD 27), Assemblyman Al Abdelaziz (LD 35), Passaic County Commissioners Pat Lepore, Sandi Lazzara, John Bartlet, Orlando Cruz, Rodney A. De Vore, Terry Duffy, and Bruce James, Passaic County Clerk Danielle Ireland-Imhof, and Patterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.

Gottheimer is fighting to support Jersey’s men and women of labor by:

• Ensuring that workers have a voice in the workplace by helping lead the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act – which empowers workers to exercise their right to organize. The legislation, of which Gottheimer was an original cosponsor, holds employers accountable for violating workers’ rights through harsher fines against offending companies and executives. Finally, it secures free, fair, and safe union elections by preventing employers from union-busting and expanding awareness about workers’ rights.
• Fighting to lower taxes for men and women of labor – by leading legislation to treat union dues and public pensions fairly under the tax code. Gottheimer is a cosponsor of the Tax Fairness for Workers Act, which would allow union members to deduct their dues from their taxes. He also helped to pass into law the Social Security Fairness Act, which ensures public sector workers can get their full sector pension and their full social security benefits.
• Strengthening and protecting unions — Gottheimer helped introduce the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act, which would end the ability for corporations to deduct union-busting expenses from their taxes. Gottheimer also helped introduce the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which would guarantee the right of public sector employees to organize, act concertedly, and bargain collectively in states that currently do not afford these basic protections.
• Helping negotiate, write, and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to boost construction and manufacturing jobs— which will fix our crumbling roads and bridges, build the Gateway Train Tunnel, invest in NJ Transit, clean our drinking water in our homes and schools, and create millions of jobs a year for the next decade — all without increasing the tax burden on North Jersey families. This bipartisan legislation will create hundreds of thousands of construction and manufacturing jobs, protected by strong Davis-Bacon Protections, thus ensuring that unions can fairly compete for infrastructure contracts and that workers are well-paid.
• Passing the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing — critical legislation to invest in American competitiveness and address major supply chain issues. This bipartisan bill will boost domestic manufacturing, accelerate U.S. production of semiconductor chips and related equipment, reduce our reliance on foreign countries like China, and help lower costs for North Jersey families and small businesses, all while creating new jobs here in the U.S. It is estimated that the CHIPS and Science Act will create tens of thousands of construction jobs and thousands of high-skilled manufacturing jobs.

Below: Gottheimer with Passaic County labor leaders.

###