Tag: Jobs and the Economy

Merkley: We Need A Minimum Wage People Can Live On

WASHINGTON – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after a minority of Senators voted to filibuster a bill to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and index it to inflation. Merkley is one of two Senators leading the minimum wage bill. “In America, we need a

Minimum wage must reflect cost of living

When I was growing up, my dad worked with his hands to make ends meet, first as a millwright at a timber mill in Southern Oregon and then as a mechanic in Portland. Although we were never rich, his hard work was enough to provide for our family. On the

On Equal Pay Day, Merkley Calls for Renewed Action

WASHINGTON – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement to mark Equal Pay Day – the day each year when women’s earnings catch up to men’s earnings in the previous year. “It is simply outrageous that in the year 2014, every American does not receive equal pay for

Senate Passes Merkley-Backed Extension of Emergency Unemployment Insurance

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today passed legislation cosponsored by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and a bipartisan group of Senators to extend emergency federal unemployment benefits. The bipartisan legislation covers workers who have been looking for work for more than six months and includes retroactive payments to those who were

Merkley-Backed Bipartisan Unemployment Deal Moves Toward Final Passage in Senate

WASHINGTON – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the bipartisan legislation to extend emergency unemployment benefits overcame its final filibuster in the U.S. Senate with 61 votes, allowing a majority-rules vote on final passage on Monday: “In Oregon and across the nation, families looking for work need

Emergency Unemployment Extension Overcomes Key Hurdle

WASHINGTON – Today, the recent bipartisan agreement on an extension of emergency unemployment insurance passed a key hurdle in the U.S. Senate, with 65 Senators voting to move ahead on the bill. Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley was among the 10 Senators – five leading Democrats and five leading Republicans –

Sen. Jeff Merkley helps cut deal in Senate on extending jobless aid

A bipartisan group of 10 senators, including Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, reached a deal Thursday on providing extended unemployment benefits for people who have been out of work for more than six months. The Senate deal would retroactively restore the benefits that lapsed when the aid expired on Dec.

Merkley Helps Reach Bipartisan Agreement to Restore Emergency Unemployment Insurance

Washington, DC –Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined four fellow Democrats and five Republicans in announcing an agreement to reauthorize expired emergency unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for 5 months.  The bill is cosponsored by Merkley and Senators  Dean Heller (R-NV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Rob Portman (R-OH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark

Merkley, Wyden Push Leads to Big Support for Dredging, Jetties

WASHINGTON – Today, Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has heeded their call to fund dredging operations at Oregon’s ports. As a result, Oregon’s ports will receive $19 million more in assistance – $4.2 million of it to six small ports

Merkley: Good News for American Manufacturing in President’s Budget

Washington, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after President Obama sent his 2015 budget request to Congress. “American businesses and workers can outcompete anyone in the world, but not if the other side has an unfair advantage.  To protect

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