Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine joined their Senate colleagues’ efforts to raise wages for the U.S. Senate’s cafeteria and catering workers. As the Senate Rules Committee negotiates its contract with the Restaurant Associates – the Senate’s food and catering contractor – Warner, Kaine and 39 of their Democratic colleagues urged Rules Committee leadership to advocate for better wages for these employees. In a letter sent to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee today, the senators urged action on wages and working conditions as Restaurant Associates’ contract is renegotiated.

“We are concerned about the treatment and pay of Restaurant Associates’ employees. Numerous news reports have exposed the severe impact of low wages on the workers’ lives,” wrote the Senators. “If Restaurant Associates is unable to treat and compensate its employees appropriately, we urge you to terminate the contract and find a different vendor. The U.S. Senate should serve as an example for all employers, and the workers who support the work of the U.S. Senate must be given the respect and the opportunities they deserve.”

Full text of the letter sent to Rules Chairman Roy Blunt and Ranking Member Chuck Schumer is below:

August 6, 2015

Dear Chairman Blunt and Ranking Member Schumer:

We write to express our concern about the treatment of U.S. Senate cafeteria and catering employees. We ask you to address several issues the workers have raised numerous times with their current employer, the U.S. Senate contractor Restaurant Associates, and to take them into consideration during the company’s contract negotiations later this year.

We are concerned about the treatment and pay of Restaurant Associates’ employees. Numerous news reports have exposed the severe impact of low wages on the workers’ lives. In addition, some of the 36 “transferred” employees who transitioned from being employed by the Architect of the Capitol to being employed by Restaurant Associates in 2008 have registered ongoing complaints about reduced work hours and an intimidating work environment. Newer employees have raised the same grievances. In the last few years, the company has cut the transferred catering workers’ and the new hires’ hours and generally assigned work schedules that make it difficult to get a second job. Restaurant Associates has also begun assigning fewer workers to catering events, leading to understaffed events and overworked employees.

We ask you to investigate these issues, to ask Restaurant Associates to address and resolve them in a manner satisfactory to their employees, and to consider them during the renegotiation of Restaurant Associates’ contract with the U.S. Senate. It is important that all Senate cafeteria and catering workers are able to do their jobs in a positive and supportive work environment. If Restaurant Associates is unable to treat and compensate its employees appropriately, we urge you to terminate the contract and find a different vendor. The U.S. Senate should serve as an example for all employers, and the workers who support the work of the U.S. Senate must be given the respect and the opportunities they deserve.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown

U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin

U.S. Senator Michael F. Bennet

U.S. SenatorRichard Blumenthal

U.S. SenatorCory Booker

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell

U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin

U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.

U.S. Senator Christopher A. Coons

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein

U.S. Senator Al Franken

U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich

U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono

U.S. Senator Angus S. King, Jr.

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar

U.S. Senator Patrick J. Leahy

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin III

U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley

U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski

U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy

U.S. Senator Patty Murray

U.S. Senator Gary C. Peters

U.S. Senator Jack Reed

U.S. Senator Bernard Sanders

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow

U.S. Senator Jon Tester

U.S. Senator Tom Udall

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

U.S. SenatorRon Wyden

Protecting every American’s constitutional right to vote is a fundamental value of our society. Today marks a historic milestone, but 50 years after the Voting Rights Act became law, we still have work to do."

Senator Warner questioned Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and Acting Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence on the Iran deal at a Senate Banking Committee on August 5, 2015.

Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Representative Rob Wittman introduced a resolution congratulating the College of William & Mary on the 75th anniversary of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s (VIMS) establishment.

Sens. Warner and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced the bipartisan Commonsense Reporting Act of 2015 to streamline the Affordable Care Act’s reporting requirements for employers.

"Continued funding for the important health services provided by Planned Parenthood is critical to the health of women and their families."

“Today marks a major step forward in efforts to combat the effects of global climate change."

Sen. Warner has been named a “Hero of Main Street” by the National Retail Federation for his support of important priorities such as international trade, patent reform, health care, tax reform and workforce policies that work for employees and employers alike.

Sen. Warner introduced the Teacher Loan Repayment Act (TELORA) to improve the way federal teacher grant and loan assistance programs are administered in order to incentivize talented teachers to enter and remain in the hardest-to-staff classrooms.

Today, the Senate Finance Committee released the submissions responding to the Committee’s bipartisan initiative to explore cost effective solutions to improve health outcomes for Medicare patients living with one or more chronic conditions, spearheaded by Sen. Warner and Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA.)

The U.S. Senators from Virginia and Maryland – U.S. Sens. Warner, Mikulski, Kaine and Cardin – have introduced an amendment to the transportation bill being considered by the Senate to establish minimum safety standards for the operations of the nation’s aging transit systems and improve the way the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board is appointed.

The U.S. Senate is honoring the courage and sacrifice of the men and women of the U.S. intelligence community by designating July 26, 2015 as “United States Intelligence Professionals Day.”

Sens. Warner and Kaine today joined 38 of their Senate colleagues and 158 House members to introduce historic, comprehensive federal legislation to ban discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans.

Following the recent cyber-attack at the Office of Personnel Management which compromised the personal information of at least 22 million individuals, U.S Sens. Warner, Susan Collins (R-ME), Dan Coats (R-IN), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), all members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation today that strengthens the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to protect federal civilian networks.

Today, some underserved Virginia patients were among the first to be officially helped by drone delivery to a medical clinic in Wise County.

The reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, which was co-sponsored by Sens. Warner and Kaine, provides vital programs and services for nearly 12 million low-income seniors, including nutrition programs like Meals-on-Wheels, preventive health services, transportation assistance, part-time community service and employment training, and protection from abuse and financial exploitation.

"Today’s report is another stark reminder that there has been a serious failure of leadership at Metro, and that improving the system’s safety and finances will require strong management to turn the system around."

"I will review this agreement with the utmost attention to detail, given the incredible importance of getting an agreement of this magnitude right. Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which I supported, Congress will have 60 days to analyze this agreement and carefully consider whether it substantially advances the goal of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon."

“This is the right move for the agency and all those affected by the breach. The focus now needs to be on fixing the problem and protecting those impacted."

While I welcome the news that the Army has reversed earlier plans that could have resulted in thousands of job cuts at Fort Eustis and Fort Lee, I am mindful that we must get serious about getting our budget house in order.

The technological and security failures at the Office of Personnel Management predate this director’s term, but Director Archuleta’s slow and uneven response has not inspired confidence that she is the right person to manage OPM through this crisis. It is time for her to step down, and I strongly urge the administration to choose new management with proven abilities to address a crisis of this magnitude with an appropriate sense of urgency and accountability.

“The debate is over and marriage equality is the law of the land. Our tax code must reflect that."

Sens. Warner, Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Senators Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) have introduced legislation to better protect federal workers and all those potentially affected by the recent cyberattacks on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data system.

"I am so pleased that the conversation around advanced care planning has moved away from scare tactics. Physician reimbursement is an important first step."

The Senate approved a proposal championed by U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) to help school districts better leverage limited resources by giving them access to important tools to help eliminate unnecessary administrative costs and allow more funding to go into the classroom.

Press Releases

Letter Follows Several Accounts of Senate Cafeteria and Catering Workers Who’ve Faced Financial Hardship Due to Low Wages offered by Senate Contractor, Restaurant Associates

Aug 06 2015

Two years after Supreme Court ruling striking key provisions of the VRA, Senators highlight importance of protecting Americans’ constitutional right to vote

Aug 06 2015

Aug 05 2015

Aug 05 2015

Directs Treasury Dept. to implement an alternative, less burdensome reporting system for employers

Aug 05 2015

Notes that continued funding is “critical to the health of women and their families

Aug 03 2015

New Administration standards would reduce power-plant carbon emissions

Aug 03 2015

Jul 31 2015

Bipartisan legislation strengthens federal loan assistance programs to attract and retain talented teachers in hard-to-staff classrooms

Jul 30 2015

530 Recommendations on How to Improve Care Submitted to Committee

Jul 28 2015

Amendment would give Federal Transit Administration power to establish minimum safety standards on transit systems like Metro; Would also improve how Metro Board appointments are made

Jul 28 2015

Passes resolution designating July 26 as ‘U.S. Intelligence Professionals Day'

Jul 24 2015

The Equality Act would outlaw discrimination in the workplace, financial markets, housing, public accommodations & more

Jul 23 2015

The FISMA Reform Act would Strengthen DHS Authority to Prevent and Block Cyber Attacks on .gov Networks

Jul 22 2015

Free health clinic in Wise County received first-ever federally-approved drone delivery of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies

Jul 17 2015

Jul 17 2015

Calls for management changes at transit agency

Jul 15 2015

President Obama announced deal this morning; Congress now has 60 days to review the agreement

Jul 14 2015

President Obama has accepted resignation of Director Archuleta

Jul 10 2015

Jul 09 2015

Follows two data hacks exposing personal information of close to 25 million

Jul 09 2015

Jul 09 2015

Jul 09 2015

Jul 08 2015

Bipartisan provisions accepted as amendments to the ‘Every Child Achieves Act’ education

Jul 08 2015