Survey Results

Page: 2012 DC Council Chair Special Election Questionnaire

1. Candidate Last Name:
	answered question	2
	skipped question	0
		Response Count
[ShowReplies]		2

2. Candidate First Name
	answered question	2
	skipped question	0
		Response Count
[ShowReplies]		2

3. Office Seeking
	answered question	2
	skipped question	0
		Response Count
[ShowReplies]		2

4. Ward or At-Large
	answered question	0
	skipped question	2
		Response Count
		0

5. Party
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Democrat		100.0%	2
Republican		0.0%	0
Statehood/Green		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)		0.0%	0

6. Campaign Address:
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Committee Name: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2
Street Address: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2
City: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2
State: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2
Zip: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2

7. Candidate Contact Information:
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Phone: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2
Fax: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2
Email: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2

8. Treasurer Name & Address:
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Treasurer Name: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2
Street Address: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2
City: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2
State: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2
Zip: [ShowReplies]		100.0%	2

9. Does your campaign accept PAC contributions?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		50.0%	1
No		50.0%	1

10. Restrictions on PAC contributions
	answered question	0
	skipped question	2
		Response Count
		0

11. Previous Elected/Appointed Office
	answered question		1
	skipped question		1
		Response Percent	Response Count
1 [ShowReplies]		100.0%	1
2 [ShowReplies]		100.0%	1
3		0.0%	0
4		0.0%	0
5		0.0%	0
6		0.0%	0

12. Term of Previous Office
	answered question		0
	skipped question		2
		Response Percent	Response Count
1		0.0%	0
2		0.0%	0
3		0.0%	0
4		0.0%	0
5		0.0%	0
6		0.0%	0

13. Have you ever received the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO endorsement?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0

14. When?
	answered question	1
	skipped question	1
		Response Count
[ShowReplies]		1

15. Have you ever assisted a labor organization to achieve any of its goals?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0

16. If yes, please explain:
	answered question	2
	skipped question	0
		Response Count
[ShowReplies]		2

17. Please explain why you seek labor's endorsement?
	answered question	2
	skipped question	0
		Response Count
[ShowReplies]		2

Page: 2012 DC Council Chair Special Election Questionnaire

18. A few years ago the minimum wage was increased by Congress after years without increases. The DC minimum wage is $1 more than the federal minimum wage but only increases when Congress takes action. Will you support indexing the minimum wage to inflation if Congress has not increased the minimum wage within a four year period?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

19. Retail employers that have gross revenues of greater than $27 million can afford to pay their workers living wages of $12.50 an hour, which will help to support sustainable careers in the retail industry and to build a retail workforce in the District that can afford to buy the products it works hard to sell. Will you work to ensure that hard working District residents receive the good wages they deserve and support a bill establishing a minimum wage standard that would require large retail employers with revenues greater than $27 million to pay a living wage of $12.50 an hour?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)		0.0%	0

20. Washington DC is "expected to have among the largest increases in hotel developments over the next several years," (Wells Fargo Lodging Weekly July 12, 2012). Yet developers are still clamoring for tax abatements, city land, zoning variances and a variety of other public subsidies for their hotel projects. Will you ensure that the District protects its proprietary interest as a public fiduciary of any taxpayer subsidized investment in hotel developments by requiring labor peace for all publicly assisted hotel projects as a requirement to qualify for the bidding process or as it pertains to legislation granting taxpayer subsidy to such projects?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

21. Wal-Mart has a long history of paying poverty-level wages, not providing adequate health coverage to its employees, driving out small and medium-sized businesses, costing local taxpayers millions of dollars through tax avoidance strategies, creating environmental and traffic problems, driving down wages in the communities in which it locates, caring little for the safety of its workers, discriminating against women, breaking child labor laws, and buying most of its merchandise from China and other countries where workers are treated poorly. There is clear evidence that Wal-Mart currently does more harm than good in the communities in which it locates. Will you support and be willing to call on Wal-Mart to publicly sign a binding, legally enforceable, Community Benefits Agreements (CBA), ensuring that they will benefit communities they are attempting to enter, before they are allowed to open stores in the District of Columbia?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0

22. Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) are pre-hire agreements between Management and Labor that establish the terms and conditions of employment. The terms include benefits, work rules, and dispute resolution, and guarantee that workers will perform most efficiently during a specific construction project. PLAs have been used nationwide in public and private construction since the early 1900s. Will you support a Project Labor Agreement on all DC government construction projects over $1 million and ensure that all work is performed by contractors who provide bona fide apprenticeship programs so that DC residents have access to career training in this industry?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

23. There is an ongoing problem with unscrupulous employers intentionally misclassifying their employees as independent contractors to avoid paying proper wages and payroll taxes. Will you support a bill prohibiting and penalizing this misclassification of workers similar to the law in Maryland and many other states?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

24. On national surveys, most low wage workers report experiencing some form of wage theft, where their employer fails to pay them the wages they agreed to or even the wages required by law. When DC workers go to the Office of Wage Hour (OWH), they experience difficulty and delay in getting the wages they are owed and OWH does not impose any penalties or liquidate damages on businesses that steal their employees' wages. Will you introduce legislation to improve the process for workers to get the wages they are owed and require penalties to deter violations?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

25. For many years day laborers have been trying to get a permanent Worker Center established at the Home Depot site in Northeast. Will you support the creation of a Worker Center that would help monitor and organize day laborers seeking contract work and daily jobs at this key location?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

26. The D.C. City Council has passed many laws that mandate local hiring and training, however D.C. residents are still underemployed in the construction and retail industry. One of the reasons for this situation is the lack of enforcement on the part of the Executive branch. Do you pledge to challenge the Mayor to respect the Council as an institution and enforce the laws passed by the Council, even if it means taking the Mayor to court?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

27. Unlike the private sector, D.C. government worker's compensation appeals process for public employees does not provide for the collection of attorney’s fees. Many D.C. workers cannot find lawyers willing to take their cases because they cannot afford attorney fees. Will you support legislation that would bring public employee attorney's fee collection in line with the private sector?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

28. Once a contract agreement has been reached between a union representing public employees and the city, do you pledge to fully fund those contracts and require the Mayor to send the contract to the City Council for approval within 30 days after the contract has been ratified by the union members?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

29. There are companies with bad labor relations records that still get D.C. government contracts. Will you support policies denying these companies government contracts or any government assistance?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

Page: 2012 DC Council Chair Special Election Questionnaire

30. There are independent DC government agencies such as the Public Service Commission, The Office of the Tenant Advocate, Office of the People's Counsel, the Public Employee Relations Board, University of the District of Columbia Board of Trustees, and others that must function without political interference. The Mayor appoints the heads of these independent agencies and members of these Boards with the confirmation of the City Council. Boards can be stymied and stopped if timely replacements of those whose terms expire are not made by the Mayor and leaving the board without a quorum means no work can be done by the commissions. Will you support legislation that will allow the heads of these independent agencies and members of these independent boards to continue to serve past their terms until they are replaced by someone who is appointed and qualified?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		50.0%	1
No		50.0%	1
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

31. The Freedom of Speech and the right to protest is a fundamental American right honored above all others. Will you oppose any attempt to limit these freedoms?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

32. The DC Council amended the DC School Personnel Reform Act and stripped non-union workers in DC Public Schools, the State Board of Education, and the newly-created Department of School Maintenance and Modernization of their right to defend themselves if they believed that they were unjustly fired from their job . This travesty resulted from making non-union workers, "employees without tenure" or "at-will" employees. This law also prevented any of these workers from ever being able to join a union. Will you support legislation giving these workers the right to join a union?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

33. Over 2,000 injured D.C. government employees go through the Public Sector Workers Compensation Program each year. These benefits are intended to give injured government workers financial security when injured on the job and help them pay for their medical care, rent and other basic necessities. Unfortunately, the FY 2011 budget granted government appointed doctors with limited knowledge of a client’s health condition greater weight in determining work eligibility, reducing the role of treating physicians. The Council also repealed protections for workers that suffered mental trauma, allowed workers to lose their benefits even before an Administrative Law Judge has the opportunity to evaluate their side of the story, and capped benefits for injuries that Office of Risk Management (ORM) classifies as “temporary” even though they continue for more than 500 weeks. These repeals endanger injured workers’ right to fairly access workers’ compensation and medical treatment for their injuries. On July 10, 2012 The Protecting Injured Government Workers Act of 2012 was introduced in the City Council to fix these problems. Will you cosponsor and support this legislaton and support its full funding in the FY 2014 Budget Support Act or any supplemental budget legislation?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

34. Will you support a “Worker's Freedom Act” that would prohibit employers from compelling workers to attend mandatory meetings to listen to their employers’ religious and political beliefs, including the employer’s beliefs about joining a union?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

Page: 2012 DC Council Chair Special Election Questionnaire

35. With the passing of the Health Care Reform Act there may be companies that push their own employees into government-assisted health care programs such as the DC Healthcare Alliance because of their failure to provide adequate health insurance. Will you support ‘Healthcare Disclosure’ legislation that requires annual reporting by employers on the number of their employees and/or their dependents using public health programs?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

36. Research shows that minimum hospital nurse-to-patient staffing standards assure that nurses spend more time at the bedside with patients, promote the retention of experienced nurses, and ultimately improve the quality of care. Unfortunately, the hospital industry vigorously opposes mandatory minimum staffing standards. Will you sponsor a bill that establishes clearly defined minimum nurse-to-patient staffing standards in all District of Columbia hospitals with enforceable financial penalties for hospitals that fail to adhere to these standards?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

Page: 2012 DC Council Chair Special Election Questionnaire

37. Matters dealing with education are in the Council's Committee of the Whole which includes all the Councilmembers. Some observers of the City Council have said, "while the idea was good at the time, there is a need to re-establish an Education Committee to focus more closely on education". Do you support re-establishing an Education Committee?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

38. 50% of the DC education budget goes to DC Charter Schools even though they only have 33% of students. Individual Charter School Boards have control of their money with oversight from a federal charter school board. Some years ago the city gave up local control by abolishing the DC Charter School Board. Will you support re-establishing a local charter school board appointed by the Mayor, City Council and State Board of Education with oversight authority and the ability to audit all DC Charter Schools annually?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		50.0%	1
No		50.0%	1
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

39. Do you approve of the school reforms instituted by former School's Chancellor Michelle Rhee and former Mayor Adrian Fenty?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		50.0%	1
No		50.0%	1
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

40. Do you support allowing teachers who teach in D.C. public charter schools to join a union so they can have the same rights to bargain for wages, benefits and working conditions as other public, federal and private sector workers do?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

41. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray commissioned a study of our public schools by a Chicago organization called IFF. The study ranks all DC Public Schools into 4 tiers by test scores (tier 1 being the highest performing and tier 4 being the lowest performing). The study recommends that all tier 4 and some tier 3 schools close or undergo a turnover to a charter school operator. 38 schools have been recommended for closure or turnover to a charter school operator. Do you support these proposed recommendations?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		50.0%	1
No		50.0%	1
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

Page: 2012 DC Council Chair Special Election Questionnaire

42. Do you support making rent control permanent in the District of Columbia?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		50.0%	1
No		50.0%	1
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

43. Affordable housing in the District of Columbia for the "working middle class" (such as hospitality industry workers, office building and parking attendant workers, lower wage construction workers) is becoming harder to find. Will you support legislation that would create workforce housing for these workers?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

44. Wages in DC, even for many union members, do not cover the cost of housing in DC for working families. Currently 47,500 families pay more than half of their income in housing costs alone. The city needs to invest in a full "Continuum of Housing" program that ensures that all people can afford to live in DC by making rent and homeownership affordable at any income level. How do you plan to address the lack of affordable housing and implement a full Continuum of Housing?
	answered question	2
	skipped question	0
		Response Count
[ShowReplies]		2

Page: 2012 DC Council Chair Special Election Questionnaire

45. WMATA has provided bus and rail transportation for the District of Columbia since the 1970s. Transit is a vital part of moving workers around the District. Its routes cross the city and its workers are paid family-sustaining wages and benefits. Which of the following do you favor?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Doing what is necessary to improve the Metro System		100.0%	2
Expanding the privately run DC Circulator		0.0%	0
Building a DC streetcar system as a privately run system that replaces Metrobus routes		0.0%	0
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

46. How safe do you believe Metro buses are for riders and drivers?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Extremely safe		50.0%	1
Very safe		0.0%	0
Somewhat safe		50.0%	1
Not too safe		0.0%	0
Not safe at all		0.0%	0
Other (please specify)			0

47. How would you improve safety for Metro bus riders and drivers?
	answered question	2
	skipped question	0
		Response Count
[ShowReplies]		2

48. Metro has begun installing usage-optional bus shields on some buses to test how well they protect drivers. Do you support the installation of these shields?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

49. Some people may say that lingering maintenance and infrastructure problems jeopardize Metro’s reliability and that fare increases are needed to fix these problems and increase safety. Others may say that this is the wrong time to hike fees on the backs of thousands of working people, students, and senior citizens who rely on Metro as their only means of transit. Do you support Metro’s decision to increase fares?
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Yes		100.0%	2
No		0.0%	0
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]			1

50. In order to help strengthen working people’s interests, would you be willing to:
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Urge employers to respect their employees' right to form a union by remaining neutral during a union organizing campaign?		100.0%	2
Urge employers to recognize a union voluntarily when the majority of their employees choose to form one?		50.0%	1
Write a letter to unorganized workers endorsing an organizing drive by a labor union?		0.0%	0
Write a letter to urge an employer to re-hire a worker fired because he/she supported the union during an organizing drive?		50.0%	1
Urge the public to utilize union produced products (like AT&T Wireless)?		0.0%	0
Walk a picket line in support of a labor union?		50.0%	1
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]		50.0%	1

51. For the measures above that you have agreed to support, would you be willing to:
	answered question		2
	skipped question		0
		Response Percent	Response Count
Co-sponsor legislation		100.0%	2
Work with our lobbyists to pass the bill		50.0%	1
Testify at a hearing in support of legislation		0.0%	0
Speak at public events in support of legislation		50.0%	1
Write a letter in support of legislation		0.0%	0
Other (please specify) [ShowReplies]		50.0%	1