Washington, D.C. –Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), was appointed to serve on two House Education and Workforce subcommittees with jurisdiction over workplace protections, wages and labor issues.

“As an IBEW electrician, I saw firsthand how the enforcement of workplace protections, wage rules, and pension laws can change – and even save – lives,” Norcross said. “Serving on these committees, I’m going to make it my mission to improve workplace conditions and raise wages for America’s workers.”                                              

Norcross was appointed to the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction oversight of the National Labor Relations Board, pensions and employment-related benefits; and the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, which covers minimum wage, workplace safety, and Davis Bacon prevailing wage requirements. Norcross is the only member from the Philadelphia area and the only member of New Jersey’s congressional delegation to serve on the committees. 

“Over the past eight years, the Department of Labor has worked to raise wages for four million Americans working overtime without compensation. It’s enforced OSHA protections to keep workplaces and job sites safe. And they’ve taken action to help women receive equal pay for equal work,” Norcross said. “On the Education and Workforce committees, I’m going to work to hold the administration accountable and fight to keep these policies in place.”

An International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) member and electrician by trade, Norcross has a long history of fighting for workers in South Jersey. He served as a business agent for IBEW Local 351 and as president of the Southern New Jersey Building Trades Council. In the State Senate, he led the fight to make college more affordable and expanded higher education access in South Jersey by creating partnerships with community colleges and state universities.

In Congress, he has introduced legislation that would incrementally raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, fought the Trans-Pacific Partnership and formed the bipartisan Building Trades Caucus.  

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