For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 09, 1996
AFSCME President Opposes TEAM Act, Reaffirms Support for Increase in the Minimum Wage
Washington, DC —Gerald W. McEntee, president of the 1.3 million member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO today reiterated his strong support for a proposed bill that would increase the minimum wage, and lambasted Republican leaders for attempting to stall the measure from being passed by tacking on the non-germaine and controversial TEAM Act provision.
"The TEAM Act, a Republican-proposed amendment to the National Labor Relations Act, would let employers select and control representatives who are supposed to speak for employees. This bill would let employers unilaterally dictate who should represent employees in discussions about working conditions."
McEntee said it was, "reprehensible that Republicans would make passage of the TEAM Act a condition of passage of a minimum wage increase. They're essentially offering a no-win option to millions of working Americans: give up your basic right to elect your representative in the workplace or say good-bye to a desperately needed increase in the minimum wage. Once again, Republicans have gone the extra mile in showing their contempt for America's working families."
Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole had stated that he would welcome separate votes on the minimum wage, the gasoline tax and the TEAM Act, but quickly backed away from his offer to divide the legislation into three separate bills after President Clinton acknowledged he would veto the TEAM Act.
"These are separate issues, and they should be debated on their own merits," McEntee said. "By linking the minimum wage increase to such a blatantly anti-worker bill as the TEAM Act, Republicans have once again done a grave disservice to the working people of this country.
"We support the efforts of President Clinton in securing an increase to the minimum wage," McEntee concluded, "while standing firm on his opposition to the TEAM Act."
