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Carol for Council1005 7th Street, N.W. Answers to Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO questionnaire, July 24, 2000 Name of Candidate: Carol Schwartz Seeking Which Office: Council, At-large Name of Campaign Committee: Committee to Re-Elect Carol Schwartz WORKER RIGHTS:
Yes _____ No X If no, why not? I certainly support workers’ rights to organize and, by doing so, actively involve themselves in improving working conditions for all employees, but I think that the basic tenets of free speech give employers the right to express their views. Employers must not, however, use heavy-handed scare tactics such as intimidation and threats of firing workers to thwart union organizing. Existing laws, both local and federal, against such tactics must be vigorously enforced to ensure that workers’ rights to organize are not unlawfully hindered. Yes _____ No X If no, why not? Unions have served and continue to serve a tremendous purpose in efforts to bring about better pay, improved working conditions, stronger protections and enhanced job security for our nation’s workers. I also see more and more companies responding to these efforts by setting and, in some cases, achieving these same goals for their workers. I recognize that such accommodating companies are still few and far between. Again, I believe that employers should have the right to express themselves – absent of threats, intimidation and other malicious tactics – in debates about organizing. Contact employers directly to remain neutral ____ Walk picket lines with workers ____ Contact other politicians for support ____ Utilize leverage of public programs/dollars to encourage employers to remain neutral ____ Attend organizing meetings and encourage workers to support a union ____ Other X (see below) I would weigh the arguments in each case to determine how to proceed in my capacity as a Councilmember. Most often, though, I believe that such negotiations are more likely to be fruitful if they are not overly politicized. For the benefit of all those involved, I am inclined to believe politicians should stay out of such debates, particularly in the private sector, unless absolutely necessary. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: 1. Labor supports "high road" economic development, which means the
attraction and retention of high wage, good benefit, stable jobs which allow workers to
live independently, and which are not dependent upon large amounts of taxpayer subsidies
in any form. Do you support this concept? Yes X No ______ What will you do to ensure that this "high road" approach becomes the
policy of the District of Columbia? On the Council, I have supported and sponsored
incentive tax reductions to lure businesses to District that take the "high
road" approach and offer job-seekers greater prospects of good-wage and good-benefit
jobs. I co-sponsored the "New Economy Transformation Act of 2000" to assist in
building a new economy in the District by encouraging technology companies to locate here.
We all know that these high-tech companies are at or near the top in the creation of new
high-wage, good-benefit jobs. In the District, where the unemployment rate is nearly
triple that of Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland, we must work much harder to train
and re-train workers for this new economy. That is part of the reason why that, during the
last budget cycle, I found additional money in the budget to allocate to adult education
and supported full-funding for our public schools, including funds to enhance training in
high-tech fields. 2. Do you support requiring businesses which receive public support, in the form of industrial revenue bonds, enterprise zone benefits, TIF funds, tax breaks and the like, to provide jobs with living wages and benefits? Yes. I think that our economy will benefit as we move away from a "minimum wage," particularly for those who head up households, and toward a "living wage." People who work hard and full-time should be entitled to wages and benefits that enable them to live without subsidies from the government. If businesses receive public support, then certainly their employees should receive pay and benefits that allow them to live decently and independently. I also supported – and found money in the budget for fiscal year 2001 – to help fund a D.C. earned income tax credit for hardworking, low-income residents. No ____ Would you introduce legislation to make this law?: Yes X I would consider such legislation. No ____ Would you support legislation introduced by others? Yes X Again, I would consider such legislation. No ____ If no, why not? 3. Will you support legislation requiring that employers pay back any public funds with penalties if they renege on commitments to provide certain numbers of jobs with living wages and benefits? Yes _____ No X If no, why not? While I think that the "living wage" must be a goal, we still must adequately and reasonably define this goal. I strongly believe that working people should be able to live as independently as possible and be able to maintain a decent quality of life. I did not support the "living wage" proposal during my campaign for mayor two years ago because I was concerned that it would cost the city and our workers much-needed jobs, but I remain open to discussion about such a proposal. That being said, I think that employers who commit to providing certain numbers of jobs with living wages and benefits – particularly those that receive public funds – must make all-out efforts to meet their commitments. 4. Will you support re-instituting funding from DC appropriated dollars for job training for DC residents? Yes X The Council, in the budget for fiscal year 2001, added $4.5 million for job training. I supported this additional funding. No ______ How would you guarantee that this money is spent training persons only for living wage, stable jobs with futures and not for dead-end jobs that do not allow workers to support themselves and their families? I want our residents who work hard to get the training they need to be rewarded with jobs that are not dead-end – jobs that enable them to support themselves and their families, and hold the promise of career advancement. I am not in a position to personally guarantee that this is always the case, but if I am re-elected I will continue to advocate for wages that are livable and give earners the opportunity to have a good quality of life, free of government subsidies. 5. Will you support apprenticeship programs for hard-to-employ DC residents on City-funded contracts where no such requirement presently exists (ie, school construction)? Yes X I will continue to support apprenticeship programs, as I have in the past. No ______ 6. Many city programs are now run by companies outside of the District – we send our property taxes to Virginia, the new employee notification program is run from Richmond, professional license renewal is now run out of Montgomery County. Would you support legislation requiring the District to give preference to firms which have presence, and pay appropriate business taxes, in our city? Yes X I would absolutely consider such legislation. I certainly want to see DC dollars remain in DC, and I have stated this publicly on many occasions. No ______ If no, why not? ___________________________________________________ 7. Currently, valet parking companies are not regulated in the District of Columbia. Some of them have not even registered to do business here. It is unclear whether they pay any business taxes including unemployment compensation, or whether they have adequate liability insurance and security precautions for employees. They block traffic, use up street parking in neighborhoods, and provide dismal wages and benefits to workers. Would you support legislation to regulate valet parking companies in DC? Yes X No business, or type of business, should be given a free ride. There must be rules and regulations to ensure laws are followed and workers are not exploited. I will look into this particular situation and ask the Chair of the Council’s Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to do so, as well. No ______ If no, why not? ____________________________________________________ WORKER SAFETY AND HEALTH: 1. Will you vote in favor of legislation to require the use of safety-engineered needles, or "safe" needles, which prevent accidental needle sticks among health care workers? Yes X The Council recently passed legislation to require the use of safety-engineered needles. Without reservation, I voted in favor of this legislation. I think that the benefits of this new "safe" technology far outweigh the financial costs. No ______ What will you do to see that this legislation is passed as soon as possible to protect these workers from HIV, hepatitis and other PREVENTABLE blood-borne diseases.? As I stated above, this legislation was passed by the Council. I think that every available method to prevent the transmission of blood-borne diseases to healthcare workers should be utilized. As a 10-year-member of the Board of Directors of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, I know first-hand the concerns of healthcare workers in this regard. I will continue to work with my colleagues on the Council’s Committee on Human Services, on which I serve, to ensure the safety of our healthcare workers. 2. There is no real safety program for DC Government employees. The current law, Title XX of the Comprehensive Merit Personnel Act, provides no enforcement authority to force agency heads to remedy safety problems, severe or otherwise. Additionally, the Council has failed to provide adequate funding earmarked to safety and health issues. The City spends approximately $25 million on the Disability Compensation program for workers once they are injured. Will you support: Amending Title XX to add enforcement language? Yes X No ______ If no, why not?: ___________________________________________________ Legislating that DC conduct a formal inventory of DC government worksites for identification hazards, as well as cost assessment for abatement of these hazards? Yes X No ______ If no, why not?: ___________________________________________________ Identifying specific funds in the budget to abate hazards and provide necessary personal protective equipment for workers? Yes X No ______ If no, why not?: ___________________________________________________ Identifying specific funds in the budget for safety and health training for appropriate staff in each agency? Yes X No ______ If no, why not?: ___________________________________________________ WORKERS AND UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION: 1. Over the last few years, the City Council, at the request of business, has slashed injured and unemployed worker benefits through these two programs. Will you pledge that during your term you will actively oppose further benefit cuts in these programs? Yes X I supported Bill 12-192, the "Workers' Compensation Amendment Act of 1999," because we needed to bring the District’s rules regarding disability benefits closer in line with those in Maryland and Virginia, with which we compete for businesses and for the much-needed jobs that they create. We must improve the business climate in our city while, at the same time, protect our workers. I believe we accomplished this with Bill 12-192, and I see no reason for further reductions. No ______ If no, why not? ____________________________________________________ PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES: 1. What is your position on managed competition, that is, requiring DC government employees to have to compete for their jobs with firms from the private sector? I have never been an advocate of managed competition in all my years in elective office. Where it has occurred in the government, I have not seen benefits either in cost-savings or in improved services. I have expressed this view repeatedly as Chair of the Committee on Public Works and the Environment and as a member of the Committee on Government Operations. In the areas that my Committee oversees – the Water and Sewer Authority, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the DC Taxicab Commission, I have urged Department heads to re-evaluate the need to contract out, and in some cases to take the necessary steps to bring certain contracts back in-house. 2. Will you oppose further privatization and contracting out of DC government jobs? Yes X I have never proposed contracting out government services and have no intention of doing so in the future. It should be noted that the letting of contracts is a function of the Executive Branch of our government. I think we must do all that we can to keep work in-house, rather than allowing the private sector to profit. I am very skeptical about the benefits of privatization, as stated above. Each instance in which privatization or contracting out is proposed must be thoroughly evaluated to ensure that, without a doubt, such activities would benefit the District. No ______ If no, why not? ____________________________________________________ 3. To the extent that public services have not been provided in the most efficient way in the past, what are you prepared to do to ensure that public sector workers have: Quality managers: I believe that performance goals must be set for all managers, be they mid-level or upper-level. I also support taking corrective action when goals are not met. When managers are not performing well, the workers they are charged with supervising suffer as a result. This is not fair to the workers, and the managers must be accountable. Functioning equipment: As Chair of the Committee on Public Works and the Environment, I have been actively promoting that the District of Columbia work toward modernizing its equipment by following established best practices and standards. I have also focused on specific areas that have been brought to my attention. On a site visit last year to a Public Works trash truck marshalling yard, I heard from workers about glitches – some of them potentially hazardous – in the design of the city’s new trash collection trucks. My Committee took swift action to correct these flaws, and to ensure that trash collection vehicles bought by the city in the future are free of these glitches. Safety equipment: I do not believe that anyone should be compelled to do a job without the proper safety equipment. I urge any workers in the public sector who feel as though they are not being provided with adequate safety equipment to contact my office, and I will do my best to see to it that their concerns are addressed. I will also continue to inquire about safety issues in oversight hearings before my Committee. Safe working environments: As Chair of the Public Works Committee, I have actively addressed every safety concern that has been brought to my attention by workers or managers at the agencies under the Committee’s purview. Safety concerns at the Water and Sewer Authority, for example, have been a main topic at eight hearings on issues related to WASA operations that I have held since becoming Committee Chair. The safety concerns of the employees at WASA facilities were brought to my attention by a group of WASA employees. Some of the issues raised at my hearings have resulted in investigations of WASA operations by the Inspector General of the District of Columbia. No worker, regardless of the position that he or she is in, should be subjected to an unsafe work environment. If re-elected, I will continue to follow up on every safety concern that is reported to me. It should be noted that the "Whistleblower Enforcement Act of 1998," which resulted from legislation I introduced, has encouraged workers to report waste, fraud and safety problems in the workplace and has provided them with strong protections when they come forward. I am very proud of this accomplishment. Other appropriate job training: Planning and creating a budget that adequately reflects needed personnel training and equipment acquisition and maintenance, as well as competitive salaries, are a priority for departments and agencies within my Committee's purview. I will do my best to require that continuing training and education of personnel be part of a manager's job description and performance evaluation. I will hold supervisors accountable for meeting the highest standards. A supervisor's first duty is to his or her people – providing the necessary tools, training and supplies needed to do the job in a professional and effective manner is an essential part of that supervisor's duty. The Council added $4.5 million in the budget for fiscal year 2000 for job training for government workers. If I am re-elected, I will – as I have in the past – continue to seek adequate funding for ongoing training opportunities for workers at all agencies under the purview of my Committee. Appropriate staffing levels: There remains a need to determine the number of employees necessary at all levels of government. During the financial crises of the early and mid-1990s, the workforce was reduced to such an extent that there were not enough employees to cover daily trash collection routes. Trash collection is a prime example of a program that was understaffed and ill-equipped. I evaluated the personnel and equipment needs for this operation and successfully urged the Council to add dollars to support the city’s trash collection unit so our workers could do the job efficiently and effectively. My aim is to improve services across the board, and staffing levels must be taken into account. We must also work to ensure that agencies discontinue the practice of becoming top-heavy with managers instead of having adequate front-line staff. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Why are you running for this office? Starting with my service (unpaid, at that time) on the D.C. Board of Education from 1974 to 1982 and continuing with my time on the Council, from 1985 to 1989 and again since 1997, I have a strong and proven history of service to this city. I have worked hard to ensure that our citizens get their tax dollars’ worth of services and to see to it that our workers are well paid, trained, and equipped. Citizens of the District know me to be honest, caring, dependable, open-minded, accessible, responsive, and serious about my responsibilities as an elected official. I will remain true to them and to our city if re-elected. 2. Why should labor support your candidacy? It would mean a great deal to me to have the support of labor because it would show that its leadership has recognized how hard I have worked on behalf of workers in the public sector and how strongly I have defended our public servants from the privatization movement. Again, I also authored whistleblowers legislation, which is now law, that has been described as one of the strongest in the nation to protect workers who expose fraud and abuse. My office has always been accessible to the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO, and the workers it represents – collectively and individually. I have supported pay raises and other workplace improvements for workers and have used my position to preach about equipment, training and workplace safety issues. 3. If you are an incumbent, what have you done in the last term to demonstrate your support for working people and their unions? Please list specific legislation and voting record accomplishments. The following is a partial list of activities that I believe demonstrate my support for working people:
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