America's Workers

"Considering the dire shortages of non-teacher staff in public schools, it is more important than ever to ensure these jobs have good benefits, such as health care, to attract and retain quality workers," the letter states, adding that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed in 2010 required that employers provide affordable health coverage to employees working an average of 30 hours a week.

The letter, signed by a total of 75 legislators, was praised by Sean M. O'Brien, president of the Teamsters Union: "Teamster school bus drivers and other school employees are being denied health care coverage due to this ACA loophole. The Teamsters join with Rep. Norcross and Sen. Markey in demanding that the Treasury Department do the right thing and fix this now!"

As a presidential nominee, Joe Biden repeatedly promised to deliver on union-friendly policies like the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, the latest iteration of Democrats' long-fought-for overhaul of labor law.

It turned out to be an effective strategy: Biden won the 2020 election with an assist from organized labor in battleground states like Michigan. In fact, he performed the best out of the past three Democratic presidents with union voters.

"We've talked about this for literally years in different configurations," Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), a former union organizer who co-chairs the Labor Caucus, said. "He's embraced it."

It's latest in a back-and-forth between Norcross and allied countries over his efforts to boost domestic jobs and manufacturing by strengthening "Buy American" requirements in federal contracting, which apply to about a third of the $600 billion in goods and services the U.S. government buys each year.

Norcross, an electrician by trade, says Amazon's injury numbers seem "astronomically out of whack" compared to other warehouses, especially "given the technology they work with day in and day out, being one of the most innovative companies in America."