The Utility MACT and Rubio’s Raise Act
Today in the News
UTILITY MACT VOTE FAILS IN SENATE, 46-53 – MARLO LEWIS
Nationaljournal.com: Nix the U-MACT
The U-MACT Rule would have zero chance of passing were its mandates introduced as legislation and put to a vote. The Rule effectively bans new coal generation – again, a policy Congress would reject if proposed in legislation. Along with other EPA regulations, U-MACT will make energy more costly, make electricity prices more volatile, jeopardize electric supply reliability, and reduce GDP growth and job creation. The alarms over mercury and PM2.5 that EPA and others use to promote the Rule are unscientific hype. Because households generally use income to enhance their well-being, regulations with large net costs are likely to have a negative impact on public health. >
See also:
Why Sen. Alexander Is Wrong about the Utility MACT
RUBIO’S RAISE ACT – F. VINCENT VERNUCCIO
CEI.org: CEI to Score Amendment to Farm Bill
This week, the Senate is expected to vote on Amendment No. 2166 to the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act (S.3240), better known as the Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees Act (RAISE) Act. The Amendment is sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
CEI labor policy analysts will score the Senate vote on the Rubio Amendment and incorporate the scores into CEI’s Congressional Labor Policy Scorecard, which is maintained and updated on WorkplaceChoice.org. The scorecard reflects Members’ voting records on all significant matters of worker rights.
Currently, union workers’ wages are dictated by collective bargaining agreements made between a union and an employer. Collective bargaining agreements not only create a floor for worker’s wages, they also establish a ceiling. The vast majority of these agreements grant pay increases on seniority, not merit. In other words, unionized employees can only see an increase in their salary through longevity—no matter how productive they are and how hard they work. The RAISE act would remove the barrier of employers to give their workers pay increases.