{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://boyle.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-boyle-jobs-dignity-task-force-meet-jobs-experts-craft", "Congressman Boyle, Jobs with Dignity Task Force Meet with Jobs Experts to Craft Economic Agenda", "2017-11-01", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Brendan Boyle", "B001296", "boyle.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-13), along with his fellow co-chairs of the Democratic Caucus\u2019 Jobs with Dignity Task Force, met with labor, business, and academic leaders to discuss strategies to raise wages, strengthen benefits, and build real financial and retirement stability for the middle class.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tCongressman Boyle was joined by Paul Downs, Founder and President of Paul Downs Custom Conference Tables, a custom furniture workshop located in Bridgeport, PA \u2013 in Congressman Boyle\u2019s congressional district \u2013 that employs 20 skilled craftsmen and takes pride in its renowned American-made products. Mr. Downs, who has published a book about owning a small business and written about profit sharing for the New York Times, was invited to the panel as an expert witness to share his perspective on effective, community-minded business practices.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t\u201cI\u2019m so proud to have Mr. Downs with us in the U.S. Capitol today,\u201d said Congressman Boyle. \u201cAs a local business leader who has put successful, worker-oriented industry strategies into practice in our own community, Paul is exactly the kind of voice we need to have at the table as Democrats work to build a legislative agenda that will strengthen the middle class and create a better deal for working Americans.\u201d  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t\u201cAs Republicans ram their billionaire tax cut agenda through Congress without a single hearing, my colleagues and I are focused on offering bold solutions that will raise wages, increase profit-sharing, ensure retirement security, and empower the middle class in the long term. Working families can\u2019t afford higher taxes or handouts to billionaires \u2013 they need better wages, better jobs, and real financial confidence.\u201d  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tSpecifically, this forum, titled \u201cRaising Wages and Providing Benefits to Support a Middle Class Family,\u201d delved into some of the unique partnerships created between employees and employers to encourage profit-sharing, increased take-home pay, and better benefits for employees. The forum was organized to gather the experiences and insights of expert witnesses to help guide the task force as it looks to shape federal policy in this area.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tThe four co-chairs of the Jobs with Dignity task force are Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-13), Congressman Don Beyer (VA-8), Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), and Congressman Raul Ruiz (CA-36). They were joined by Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (NY-14) and Vice-Chair Linda Sanchez (CA-38). They were joined by invited panelists Paul Downs, Founder and President of Paul Downs Custom Conference Tables; Nicole Collier, Director of Government Relations & Public Affairs, Nestl\u00e9; Josh Nassar, Legislative Director, United Auto Workers; and Joseph A. McCartin, Professor of History and Director of the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tCongressman Boyle also serves as co-chair of the Blue Collar Caucus, formed in the wake of the 2016 election to hold President Trump accountable for his promises to working people by fostering member discussion and legislative ideas focused on addressing wage stagnation, job insecurity, trade, offshoring, and dwindling career opportunities for those in the manufacturing and building trades.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://boyle.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-boyle-jobs-dignity-task-force-meet-jobs-experts-craft"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7178210653364658, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}