The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is taking aim at freshman U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., who is expected to be a top target for the GOP in 2020.
Last week, after CBS 4 Miami did a story on conditions at Miami International Airport, Shalala held a roundtable with Eulen America, a contractor for American and Delta Airlines, on the matter. Other members of the roundtable included U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., Miami Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins and union leaders.
“The increased scrutiny of the subcontractors and the working conditions of the employees made clear that airport workers at Miami International Airport face sweatshop-like conditions that are beyond unacceptable,” said Shalala. “We must do everything we can, from passing legislation supporting the right to unionize, strengthening worker protections, and simply using our platforms to fight for South Florida. No company should be able to intimidate or fire someone for trying to unionize, and no individual should be forced to drive vehicles with no brakes or windshield wipers. To work seven or eight hours in the sun before receiving a break or a drink of water is inhumane. No one should be treated this way.”
Shalala’s office looked to showcased her record, including using her perch on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee to back a proposal to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024.
But the NRCC looked to showcase Shalala’s record when she was president of the University of Miami.
“Donna Shalala has been decrying the miserable working conditions that employees have endured at Miami International Airport,” the NRCC noted on Friday. “But it turns out when Shalala was president of the University of Miami she wasn’t exactly a champion of the working class. In fact, during a labor dispute, the university chaplain called her ‘an enemy of the working poor,’ others referred to her as a union-buster and the school’s janitors went on a hunger strike to protest poor working conditions. And where was Donna during all this? Making more than half-a-million dollars and living in the 9,000 square foot presidential mansion. Her dog, Sweetie, even had four separate beds. What a life!”
“Donna Shalala isn’t some champion of the working class, she’s just another phony politician," said Camille Gallo, a spokeswoman for the NRCC.
Shalala was first elected to Congress last year, flipping a seat that had been held by U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who retired after almost three decades in Congress. Before that, Shalala was a college president and served eight years as U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
