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John Carney on Jobs
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Grants to small business is investment in the future
With a strong economy, it's the right time for us to invest in our future. More than half of Delawareans working are employed at small businesses. They're the engine of our economic growth. Our future success depends on finding ways to grow our
small businesses. So last spring we started a new grant program: Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion, or EDGE for short. We've awarded nearly $1.5 million in EDGE Grants to 20 companies.
Source: 2020 Delaware State of the State address
, Jan 23, 2020
Work-a-Day Earn-a-Pay Program Pilot
Gov. John Carney announced the expansion of the Work-a-Day Earn-a-Pay Program Pilot. The $150,000 pilot initiative funded by the Department of Transportation created a partnership with Goodwill of Delaware to hire 46 individuals who collected 759 bags
of trash along the I-95 corridor in Wilmington. Cleanups were performed three times per week."As we work to 'Keep DE Litter Free,' this program is a great example of how we can put people to work and address the litter problem that exists across our
state," said Carney. "With DelDOT and Goodwill of Delaware working together, this program will expand statewide beginning on August 1, and broaden our litter cleanup efforts."
DelDOT will provide $483,000 in funding for the expanding program.
The expanded program will increase the frequency of I-95 ramp cleanups in Wilmington as well as target other high-litter areas in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties.
Source: Delaware Business Times on 2020 Delaware gubernatorial race
, Jul 18, 2019
Investment in new jobs means drop in unemployment
Over the past two years, and thanks in large part to the work of many of you, we have 10,000 new jobs in Delaware. Our unemployment rate has fallen to 3.8 percent for the first time since 2008. Working with you, we signed an agreement to bring hundreds o
Source: 2019 State of the State address to Delaware legislature
, Jan 17, 2019
Focus on trade school training and apprenticeships
Carney addressed a question I raised about how the future of Delaware will look for young people. He cited how he has pushed for job creation, and played a vital role in getting most of DuPont to stay in Delaware. He believed that I'll have plenty of
Delaware jobs to look forward to.I later inquired about his views on the future of trade schools as a way to build a greater workforce. He said that everyone needs welders, yet we seem to not have enough. We focus on only the highest jobs through
college or the lowest jobs, and don't focus on the decently paying middle jobs, occupations vital for Americans such as welding, or plumbing or other trades.
He cited Germany's apprenticeship programs as an excellent example and something we
could emulate in Delaware. In addition, he saw the pathway program in schools as an important first step in pushing for education that can still get students good jobs without spending thousands of dollars on college.
Source: Wilmington News Journal on 2016 Delaware Governor's race
, Mar 10, 2016
Voted NO on allowing compensatory time off for working overtime.
Congressional Summary:- Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to authorize private employers to provide compensatory time off to private employees at a rate of 1 1/2 hours per hour of employment for which overtime compensation is required.
- Authorizes an employer to provide compensatory time only if it is in accordance with an applicable collective bargaining agreement.
- Prohibits an employee from accruing more than 160 hours of compensatory time.
- Requires an employee's employer to provide monetary compensation for any unused compensatory time off accrued during the preceding year.
- Requires an employer to give employees 30-day notice before discontinuing compensatory time off.
Opponent's Argument for voting No:
Rep. COURTNEY: This is the fifth time that the majority party has introduced [this bill since] 1997; and each time, the huge flaws in this legislation have resulted in its complete collapse.
And once again, it doesn't deserve that support. Despite the representations made in its title--that it promotes workers' flexibility, that it gives workers choice--a closer examination of the bill shows the opposite is true. The better way to describe this bill is the More Work, Pay Less bill. The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act created a bright line to protect people's right to a 40-hour work week, and make sure that that next hour after 40 hours is paid for with the time-and-a-half of wages. That created the weekend in America. That created the time off that middle class families have taken for granted for decades.
What this bill does is it blurs that line; it creates total chaos in terms of trying to come up with a system to set up ground rules with a case-by-case written contract, and then leaves it to the enforcement of State Labor Departments Wage and Hours Divisions, which are totally incapable of going into the tens of thousands of workplaces all across America.
Reference: Working Families Flexibility Act;
Bill H.R.1406
; vote number 13-HV137
on Apr 9, 2013
Rated 8% by CEI, indicating a pro-worker rights voting record.
Carney scores 8% by CEI on union issues
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a public policy organization dedicated to the principles of free markets and limited government, has created a Congressional Labor Scorecard for the 112th Congress focusing on worker issues. The score is determined based on policies that support worker freedom and the elimination of Big Labor's privileges across the country.
Votes in the current Congress score include:- Bill: H.R. 658, LaTourette Amendment No. 21: NO on repealing changes to the Railway Labor Act's voting rules.
- Bill: H.R. 658, Gingrey Amendment No. 18: YES to prohibit Federal Aviation Administration employees from using official--that is, taxpayer sponsored--time for union activities during the official workday.
- Bill: H.R. 1, Price Amendment No. 410: YES to defund the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
- Bill: H.R. 1, Guinta Amendment No. 166:
YES to prohibit imposing "prevailing wage" and other requirements in project labor agreements that advantage unionized contractors.
- Bill: H.R. 2017, Scalise Amendment No. 388: YES to prohibit project labor agreements in DHS contracts
- Bill: H.R. 2055, LaTourette Amendment No. 411: NO on funding for federal project labor agreements.
- Bill: H.R. 1, King Amendment No. 273: YES to eliminate the "Davis Bacon" prevailing wage rate requirement for federal projects.
- Bill: H.R. 2017, Gosar Amendment No. 386: YES to eliminate the "Davis Bacon" prevailing wage rate requirement for Department of Homeland Security contracts.
- Bill: H.R. 2354: Gosar Amendment No. 655: YES to restrict application of the Davis-Bacon Act to contracts exceeding $20 million.
- Bill: H.R. 2017: Rokita Amendment No. 2: YES to prohibit collective bargaining at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Source: CEI website 12-CEI-H on May 2, 2012
Raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2016.
Carney co-sponsored Minimum Wage Fairness Act
Congressional summary: Increases the federal minimum wage for employees to:
- $8.20 an hour beginning 6 months after enactment
- $9.15 an hour beginning 1 year later,
- $10.10 an hour beginning 2 years later, and
- an amount determined by increases in the Consumer Price Index, beginning annually after 3 years.
- Increases the federal minimum wage for tipped employees to $3.00 an hour beginning 6 months after enactment, with annual CPI adjustments.
Proponent's argument in favor (RaiseTheMinimumWage.com): The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour remains decades out of date, and the federal minimum wage for tipped workers--$2.13 per hour--has not increased in over 20 years. The minimum wage of the past provided significantly more buying power than it does today. The minimum wage of $1.60 an hour in 1968 would be $10.56 today when adjusted for inflation.
Opponent's argument against: (Neil King in Wall Street Journal,
Feb. 24, 2014): The CBO concluded that a jump in the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour could eliminate 500,000 jobs. For Republicans, the report provided ammunition that a higher minimum wage would kill jobs. Democrats pointed to the CBO's findings that the higher wage would lift 900,000 people out of poverty. But both sides missed a key finding: That a smaller hike from the current $7.25 to $9.00 an hour would cause almost no pain, and still lift 300,000 people out of poverty while raising the incomes of 7.6 million people.Congressional Budget Office report:: Once fully implemented, the $10.10 option would reduce total employment by about 500,000 workers, or 0.3%. Some people earning slightly more than $10.10 would also have higher earnings, due to the heightened demand for goods and services. The increased earnings for low-wage workers would total $31 billion. Accounting for all increases and decreases, overall real income would rise by $2 billion.
Source: S.1737 & H.R.1010 14-H1010 on Mar 6, 2013
Page last updated: Nov 04, 2020
