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
Klobuchar, Smith Join Colleagues in Calling for Full Funding of the Firefighter Cancer Registry
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and over 30 other senators in requesting full funding for the Firefighter Cancer Registry. The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act was signed into law in July 2018 and requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect the number and type of fire incidents in connection to firefighters who receive a cancer diagnosis—helping doctors and researchers to study the relationship between firefighting and an increased risk for the deadly disease. Although $2.5 million was authorized for the registry, the full
U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Help Introduce Bill to Make Important Investments in High-Need Schools and Special Education in Minnesota, Across Nation
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/12/2019]—This week, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) continued to fight for strong investments in schools across the country by helping introduce the Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers (PACT) Act, which would put the nation on the right path of funding special education and making sure every child has access to quality education. “A high-quality education should be the basic right of every child, no matter where they live or how they learn,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “Every student deserves fair and equal access to the best education possible, and Congress has an
U.S Senator Tina Smith Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Bring Lower-Cost Insulin to Market
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/11/2019]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) continued her push to bring down the fast-rising price of insulin by introducing a bipartisan bill with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) focused on bringing lower-cost insulin to market. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently transitioning the way it regulates insulin, and Sens. Smith and Cassidy’s bill—the Protecting Access to Biosimilars Act—would codify this new pathway for insulin to come to market, thus increasing market competition and driving down the cost of the life-saving medicine. You can access a summary of the bill here. “High insulin prices are
U.S Senator Tina Smith Signs onto Bill to Crack Down on Explosion of Robocalls
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/10/2019]—This week, Sen. Smith (D-Minn.) signed on to a bill that would increase penalties against telemarketers who spam Americans with robocalls and promote call authentication and blocking technologies. Robocalls are on the rise, with one source reporting an increase of 50% in robocall volume from February to July of last year. The legislation is also supported by the senior Senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). The bipartisan Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act increases penalties for fraudulent telemarketers, while also implementing measures to proactively protect consumers from receiving unwanted robocalls. The bill was introduced by
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