Beto O'Rourke rolls out new plan to protect workers' rights

Washington (CNN)Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke on Thursday rolled out his sweeping plan to ensure higher wages, protections for labor unions and end workplace discrimination.

"We need to be there for workers across this country who have always been the engine of our economy," the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate said, a day after speaking at the Iowa AFL-CIO Convention. "We need to keep up the fight for $15 an hour to ensure that one job is enough -- and no one needs to work a second or third job to support themselves and their families. Only then can we build an economy that finally works for everyone in this country."

Under O'Rourke's "21st Century Labor Contract," workers will be able to join a union if they so wish, get paid a living wage no matter the industry, will not need to work a second or third job to provide for a family, will not be face discrimination in the job search process, will have access to job training and will have access to a fair labor market.

Link to tweet

In a Medium post from O'Rourke's campaign, this plan is highlighted as "a new contract between workers, employers, and the federal government," ensuring that any worker who wants can form a union and those who are not members will experience many of the same protections a union provides such as overtime and paid sick days.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/22/politics/beto-orourke-plan-labor-unions-workers-rights/index.html