Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Join Bipartisan Group of 29 Senators in Denouncing Amazon’s Persistent Mistreatment of Delivery Drivers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith joined 27 of their Senate colleagues in a bipartisan letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy requesting information about the company’s Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program and its efforts to avoid legal liability for the persistent mistreatment of DSP drivers. The senators are also seeking information regarding Amazon’s justification for refusing to bargain with union representatives of DSP employees and requiring DSPs to sign non-poaching agreements. “Amazon’s freight truck drivers haul a variety of goods across highways every day, and their branded delivery vehicles are a virtually unavoidable feature in neighborhoods all over the country. Though nearly all Americans are familiar with and reliant on the services of Amazon- branded vehicles – which are operated by drivers in Amazon-branded vests who exclusively deliver packages with big, bold Amazon labels – few realize that Amazon refuses to acknowledge the workers who operate these vehicles as its legal employees,” the senators wrote. The senators detailed the dangerous working conditions of DSP drivers, pointing to reporting that suggests this system takes an awful toll on drivers, who have been forced to work in extreme heat without air conditioning, make deliveries in the snow without proper safety equipment like snow tires or chains, and are pressured to skip breaks. Some drivers have been forced to work for nearly twelve hours without access to a restroom. “Amazon is also facing numerous allegations of flagrant violations of the National Labor Relations Act, including refusal to recognize and bargain
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Request an Inspector General Audit of Minnesota-North Dakota Postal Service
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D – MN) have formally requested that the Inspector General of the United States Postal Service conduct a full audit of the Minnesota-North Dakota District following persistent reports across Minnesota of delayed and unreliable mail service. “We believe it is time for the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to investigate the dysfunction of the MN-ND District,” wrote the Senators. “Minnesotans rely on the Postal Service as an essential public service. Deliveries of medicine, Social Security checks and paychecks, and correspondence with loved ones are critical, especially in rural communities. But too often, the Postal Service is falling short in meeting the reasonable expectations of Minnesotans.” “Even more concerning is that attempts to elevate the concerns of Minnesotans to the USPS have either been dismissed or met with assurances that everything is fine—that the reports of our constituents are incorrect,” wrote the Senators. “This lack of transparency deepens our concern that the serious issues in the MN-ND district are not receiving adequate attention.” The Office of the Inspector General is an independent agency within the USPS that conducts essential oversight over Postal Service operations. Audits conducted by the Inspector General provide an informed, unbiased view of postal operations with a focus on preventing misuse of funds, promoting efficiency and integrity, and sharing information with the USPS Board of Governors, Congress, and USPS management. In their request for a full audit, the senators seek answers to the following issues: Smith and Klobuchar have long worked to improve the reliability of postal service in Minnesota. The
U.S. Senators Smith, Warren Fight to Secure Child Care Relief in Next Senate COVID-19 Stimulus Package
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/5/20]—This week U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a large number of their Senate colleagues in calling on Senate leadership to prioritize the inclusion of their plan for a $50 billion child care bailout in the next coronavirus relief package. The Child Care is Essential Act would stabilize the child care system, keep providers in business, and ensure parents are able to go back to work when it is safe to return. It was recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. Sen. Smith and Warren say that families in America already faced a serious child care crisis before the coronavirus pandemic. And
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar’s Measure to Install Fire Sprinkler Systems in Public Housing Passes the House
WASHINGTON, D.C. [8/5/2020]—Legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to encourage public housing authorities to install sprinkler systems in older apartment buildings is one step closer to becoming law after recently clearing the House of Representatives as part of a larger House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies funding package. And today, Sen. Smith and Klobuchar sent a letter calling for their bill to be included in the next Senate appropriations package. The Public Housing Fire Safety Act would create an annual $25 million competitive grant program to provide funds to public housing authorities who wish to retrofit older high-rise apartment buildings with sprinkler systems. “The fire at Cedar High Apartments was a horrific in the Cedar-Riverside community.
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Chris Murphy Introduce Bill to Study, Address How Social Inequities Impact Health in Communities of Color
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/6/20]—U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said today that factors like unemployment, hunger, lack of affordable housing, and education have far more impact on Americans’ health—especially in communities of color—than just medical care and treatment. On Wednesday they introduced legislation designed to study the role these “social determinants” play in exacerbating health inequities and to invest in addressing them. The Senators said that medical treatment accounts for only 10 to 20 percent of an individual’s overall health, while other social determinants of health (SDOH) account for the other 80 to 90 percent. Their Improving Social Determinants of Health Act
After Minnesota Workers Lose Hundreds in Workplace Savings Accounts Following Layoffs, Childcare Closures, Sen. Smith Introduces Bills to Protect Workers’ Savings From Forfeiture
WASHINGTON, D.C. [8/3/20]–U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)–a member of the Senate Banking Committee–introduced two pieces of legislation to prevent workers from losing their health care and childcare savings when they lose a job, have a surgery cancelled, or a child care center is closed. The measures are a direct response to letters Sen. Smith received from constituents who had lost hundreds or thousands of dollars in employer-based savings accounts following layoffs earlier this year. Federal Savings Accounts (FSAs) are an optional benefit that employers may offer to their employees. It allows workers to set aside money on a tax-advantaged basis to pay for certain out-of-pocket
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