The Committee on Education and Labor is committed to protecting and promoting workers' rights.

Every worker in the U.S. should be able to earn a living free from discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation or national origin and should be provided with the opportunity to unionize free from intimidation and fear of reprisal from his or her employer.

House Passes Historic Legislation to End Employment Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation

By a vote of 235 to 184, the House approved historic legislation to end workplace discrimination against Americans on the basis of sexual orientation. The legislation, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, would prohibit employment discrimination, preferential treatment, and retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation by employers with 15 or more employees.
Read Chairman Miller’s statement on the legislation »
Read the fact sheet on the legislation »
Read the Myth vs. Fact for the legislation »
Click here for a list of organizations supporting the legislation »

Committee Votes to Restore Bargaining Rights to Skilled, Professional and Trades Workers

The House Labor Committee passed legislation on September 18, 2007 to ensure the rights of millions of skilled, professional, and trade workers in the U.S. to join unions and bargain collectively. More »

House Passes Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

Watch Video of Ledbetter's
Hearing Testimony »

On July 31, the House of Representatives passed legislation to rectify a Supreme Court ruling in May that made it harder for workers to pursue pay discrimination claims. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would clarify that every paycheck or other compensation resulting, in whole or in part, from an earlier discriminatory pay decision constitutes a violation of the Civil Rights Act. As long as workers file their charges within 180 days of a discriminatory paycheck, their charges would be considered timely. More »

House Votes to Extend Collective Bargaining Rights to Public Safety Workers

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By an overwhelming, bipartisan vote of 314-97, on July 17 the House of Representatives approved legislation to guarantee the rights of public safety workers in all 50 states to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions. More »

Employee Free Choice Act

To help ease the economic squeeze on America’s middle class families, Democratic lawmakers have introduced the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800), a bill with 232 cosponsors that would help workers join together to bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Union workers earn 30 percent more, on average, than do nonunion workers, and union workers are much more likely to have healthcare, pensions and more generous paid time off.

Text of Employee Free Choice Act »
PDF, 50KB
Summary of Employee Free Choice Act »
PDF, 14KB

Genetic Non-Discrimination

Workers deserve protection from improper use of genetic information by employers or health insurers. More »

Workers' Rights Under Attack by Bush Administration

A report released by Rep. George Miller on July 13, 2006 details how President Bush's success at stacking the National Labor Relations Board with anti-union members has led to serious rollbacks of workers' rights protections. More »

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