Dear Friend,
Happy Fiscal New Year!
October 1 marked the beginning of a
new fiscal year (FY 2020) for District government. That means the
budget we worked so hard on last spring is implemented, and we're now
starting new investments in resources for District residents and
workers! I want to highlight a few items that residents and workers
can look forward to in FY 2020:
-
New wage garnishment protections and procedural safeguards for
low-wage earners through my
Wage Garnishment Fairness Amendment Act
-
An apprenticeship initiative within D.C. government for
District residents and students with the launch of my Pathways to Government Careers
Act
-
An expanded Career Pathways Innovation Fund grant program
that combines literacy and
occupational training for the District’s adult jobseekers
-
A new work-based learning coordinator position within D.C.
Public Schools and enhanced
career and technical education programs in District public charter
schools
-
Additional support for community-based organizations to help
workers understand their rights under District employment law through a Wage and Hour Education
Grants Program
-
A boost in education efforts around tipped wage workers’
rights and workplace protections by increasing workplace posters, informational websites, and
public education campaigns
This has been an exciting start of
the fiscal year for another reason: Our professional sports teams are
in the playoffs! Our women’s basketball
team, the Washington Mystics, are playing for the WNBA championship
tonight. And tomorrow, our men’s baseball team, the Washington
Nationals, are headed to BEAT LA and advance to the National League
Championship series.
I grew up in a baseball-rooting family, but
the reason I like sports is because it’s a common bond that ties our
community together. Last night after an exciting win by the Nats, I
stopped at Giant to get a few items. I was wearing my curly W red
t-shirt. Several shoppers—black and white, younger
and older—gave me high-fives and stopped to talk about
the game. It was a bit disappointing to see that the Nats didn’t sell
out last night (the high ticket prices are certainly a
barrier) but I hope you’ll join me in cheering on our home teams,
whether from the stands, your local restaurant or bar, or from
home.
LEGISLATIVE
UPDATES
Tuesday’s Legislative Session: The Council
voted on a number of bills today that generated quite a bit of email,
including the framework language for the Comprehensive Plan. I think
the document before us today was much improved from the first reading
in July, and I want to thank Chairman Mendelson and his staff for
working with my office on a few of those improvements. The framework
for the Comprehensive Plan is one of our best tools for making sure
District residents feel the benefits of the economic development
happening around them, and my hope is that some of today's
changes will encourage more residents to stay in the District
long-term.
We also voted today on an emergency bill, the Sanctuary
Values Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2019, that clarifies D.C.'s
policy when it comes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). I
supported this legislation and want to thank the Chair of the
Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, Charles Allen, for moving
forward this bill that is consistent with our values.
Protecting Lower Wage District Workers: Today, I also introduced a bill that will
increase job opportunities and fairness for
District workers. The Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment Act of
2019 will end the use of
employment contracts that restrict workers from taking an
additional job or future job with another business in the same
industry. The bill will apply to workers who earn up to three
times the District’s current minimum wage, which equals $87,654
annually.
Non-compete agreements have been
used to limit the rights of everyone from custodial workers at
WeWork to sandwich makers at Jimmy
John’s. They put these
workers in a bind. If workers take the skills they developed with one
employer to their next job or an additional job, they risk a lawsuit
by their current or former employer. If they don’t, they might lose
out on better pay and/or benefits. In the worst cases, employees have
been sued and had to decide whether to face their employer in court
alone or pay out of pocket for a lawyer.
Studies have found that some particularly harmful things happen when
non-compete agreements are strictly enforced: wages decrease, workers
are less likely to receive wage increases, and gender and racial wage
gaps are exacerbated. My bill doesn’t restrict employers from
protecting trade secrets or intellectual property, but it would
penalize employers who retaliate against a worker who asked about
their rights or filed a complaint.
You can read more in my press
release here or contact Margaret O’Hora on my staff with questions at
[email protected].
Fall 2019 Workforce Rountables: You might remember from budget conversations
in the spring that my Labor Committee recommended a one-year-only extension for workforce programs that haven’t
provided reliable data showing District residents graduating with
skills certifications and securing jobs. Usually a program’s funding
is assumed to continue from year-to-year and budgeted three years in
the future, but my hope has been to work with the Department of
Employment Services to demonstrate improved results to be able to
restore annually recurring funding next year.
It's now time to start revisiting
the programs that received conditional funding: the Local Adult
Training Program, D.C. Infrastructure Academy, Project Empowerment,
and D.C. Career Connections. As part of my review process for the
programs’ budgets in the next fiscal year, I requested performance
data and will be holding several roundtables this fall to learn more
about how these programs have improved with clearly-reported, positive
outcomes for residents. Here are details about the
roundtables:
-
Roundtable on the D.C. Infrastructure Academy & Local
Adult Training Program:
Wednesday, October 30, starting at 10:00am in Room 412 at the John A.
Wilson Building
-
Roundtable on Project Empowerment & D.C. Career
Connections: Thursday,
November 21, starting at 10:00am in Room 500 at the John A. Wilson
Building
You can learn more about the
information that my Committee has requested, responses about programs
from the Department of Employment Services, and information about
upcoming hearings at elissasilverman.com/workforceroundtables.
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Hear
Me on Kojo’s Politics Hour: If you missed me the other week on The Politics Hour with Kojo
Nnamdi and Tom Sherwood, you can replay my segment here! We discussed my thoughts on the legacy of Mark Plotkin,
background on the D.C. Arts and Humanities Commission mishegas, what’s
happening with the latest lawsuit involving our new sports betting
program, and more. You never know where the conversation will go on
The Politics Hour, and this segment was full of unpredictable moments
with Kojo and Tom as usual!
Domestic
Violence Awareness Month: This year marks the 25th anniversary of the
Violence Against Women Act and the 35th anniversary of the Family
Violence and Prevention Services Act. It is also the 10th anniversary
of the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s Spread Love DC
campaign, which sparks conversations about healthy relationships
around the D.C. area. There are
over 30 events happening this October to support survivors of domestic
violence and the programs that serve them. Take a look at a calendar
of upcoming events and ways to support here.
Upcoming Events:
-
Memorial
for Mark Plotkin: Tuesday, October 15, from 5:00-7:00pm in the
Mayor's Press Room at the John A. Wilson Building (Room G9, 1350
Pennsylvania Ave. NW)
-
Labor Committee Roundtable on Paid Family
Leave Implementation:
Wednesday, October 16, starting at 10:00am at the John A. Wilson
Building (Room 500, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW)
-
Hilloween: Friday, October 25, from 5:30-7:30pm at
Eastern Market (225 7th St. SE)
-
17th Street High Heel Race: Tuesday, October 29, from 7:00-10:00pm
between P and S Streets NW near Dupont Circle. The race begins at
9:00pm.
-
Labor Committee Roundtable on Workforce
Development Programs:
Wednesday, October 30, starting at 10:00am at the John A. Wilson
Building (Room 412, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW)
-
DowntownDC Fall Festival: Thursday, October 31, from 10:00am-2:00pm
at the Woodrow Wilson Plaza (1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW)
Thanks so much for reading! Let’s
Go Mystics and Nats!
Elissa.
Councilmember Elissa Silverman http://www.elissasilverman.com/
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