“In my administration, America’s working families will again have a partner in the White House.” (Hillary Clinton For President, “American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Endorses Clinton,” Press Release, 10/31/07).

General

New York Senator Hillary Clinton spent 2007 as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. After she split the first two states - Iowa and New Hampshire - with Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and won in Nevada, her campaign remains competitive around the country but the race remains very dynamic. Sen. Clinton has been endorsed by several unions, including the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees.

Positions on Legislation

In Congress, Sen. Clinton voted to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour. In December 2007 she also introduced The Standing with Minimum Wage Earners Act of 2007, which seeks to raise the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2011 and link future increases to Congressional pay raises.

Sen. Clinton wants to extend the FMLA to cover 13 million additional workers and guarantee at least seven paid sick days per year. She also co-sponsored an amendment with Sen. Dodd (D-CT) to allow family of wounded military personnel to take up to six months of unpaid leave, up from the three months currently allowed by the FMLA.

Sen. Clinton supports the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act and has called it “inconceivable” and “un-American” that workers could be fired based on sexual orientation.

Sen. Clinton was a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act in the U.S. Senate and supports a card check system. She has said that she will sign the Employee Free Choice Act into law in order to allow workers to form a union and bargain collectively without employer coercion.

Sen. Clinton’s health care proposal focuses on providing affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage. Sen. Clinton’s proposal—

• mandates universal coverage, with tax credits available to small businesses and working families to defray the costs
• prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions
• supports modernizing the health care system, including wireless and paperless technologies, to reduce cost and improve quality of care.

“I want to be absolutely clear that the reason I’m in public life, the reason I came to Chicago, the reason I started working with unions, the reason I march on picket lines, the reason that I am running for president is because of you, not because of folks who are writing big checks.” (Barack Obama, AFL-CIO Debate, 8/8/07).

General

Originally a community organizer in Chicago and an Illinois state legislator, Obama burst on the scene with his address at the 2004 Democratic Convention. Though he struggled for much of the year to translate his superstar following into poll numbers, he has now caught up to Sen. Hillary Clinton and is polling ahead or close behind in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Positions on Legislation

In Congress, Obama supported raising the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour by 2009. As president, Obama would further raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the earned income tax credit.

Obama supports expansion of the FMLA, especially to spouses of military personnel deployed overseas, and supports efforts to guarantee workers seven days of paid sick leave per year.

Obama was a cosponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act in the U.S. Senate and supports a card check system. He has said that as president he would continue to work for passage of the bill and sign it into law.

Obama’s healthcare proposal–

• provides affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage; mandates coverage of children, but not universal coverage
• supports modernizing the health care system, including wireless and paperless technologies, to reduce cost and improve quality of care
• focuses on disease prevention and increasing access to care to minimize long term costs
• requires fuller transparency of quality and cost, including full disclosure for patients.

Obama supports the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act and has touted his role as the principal sponsor of similar legislation in the Illinois state Senate.

“I am strongly opposed to H.R. 800, the so-called Employee Free Choice Act of 2007. Not only is the bill’s title deceptive, the enactment of such an ill-conceived legislative measure would be a gross deception to the hard working Americans who would fall victim to it.” (Sen. John McCain, Congressional Record, June 26, 2007.)

General

Sen. McCain is a fiscal conservative who focuses on national security and immigration issues. At times, Sen. McCain operates as a maverick within his own party.

Positions on Legislation

Sen. McCain was among 16 Republicans to back the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in 1993. However, Sen. McCain has questioned Democratic proposals to expand the FMLA on the ground that such proposals constitute an “unfunded liability” for businesses. McCain has consistently opposed increases in the minimum wage.        

As indicated above, Sen. McCain strongly opposes the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007, which would require employers to recognize bargaining units. … Sen. McCain also opposes the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, which he believes could “open a floodgate of litigation.”

For many years, Sen. McCain has advocated a guest worker program in the United States, as well as a path to citizenship for undocumented workers already here. After the failure of the most recent immigration reform bill, which he sponsored, Sen. McCain now says that he “got the message” and will secure the border first before moving onto any kind of employment-related immigration changes.

In the healthcare area, Sen. McCain focuses on reducing costs as the solution for more affordable care, using market mechanisms and competition as well as a renewed focus on preventative medicine. Sen. McCain would allow states to experiment with alternative forms of access and insurance. Sen. McCain also advocates expanding insurance coverage through tax incentives rather than expanding government programs. Sen. McCain also seeks to rely upon wireless and paperless technology innovation to save money and lives.