“I'm in this race to take those tax breaks away from companies that are moving jobs overseas and put them in the pockets of hard working Americans who deserve it. And I won't raise the minimum wage every 10 years -- I will raise it to keep pace so that workers don’t fall behind. That is why I am in it. To protect the American worker. To fight for the American worker.”
» Des Moines, Iowa, Nov. 10, 2007

In an interview with The Washington Post, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said that as president he would make investments in education, training and work force development so that Americans can leverage their strength, ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit to create new high-wage jobs and prosper in a world economy.

Here are some of his proposals

• Double federal funding for basic research and make the research and development tax credit permanent to help create high-paying, secure jobs.
• Obama says his energy independence and climate change plan will invest in America’s highly-skilled manufacturing work force and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the first wave of green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world.
• Provide assistance to the domestic auto industry to ensure that new fuel-efficient vehicles are built by American workers.
• Increase funding for federal work force training programs and direct these programs to incorporate green technologies training, such as advanced manufacturing and weatherization training, into their efforts to help Americans find and retain stable, high-paying jobs.
• Create an energy-focused youth jobs program to invest in disconnected and disadvantaged youth.
• Give workers the freedom to choose whether to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers. Obama co-sponsored the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan effort to ensure that workers can exercise their right to organize. He says he'll continue to fight for EFCA's passage and sign it into law.
• Raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs.

*Sen. Obama's voting record on employment issues:

Voted Topic Date YES Restricting employer interference in union organizing. June 2007 YES Increasing minimum wage to $7.25. Feb. 2007 YES Raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25. March 2005

*Members of Congress sometimes vote on different versions of a bill. Voting yes or no on one doesn't mean they'll vote the same way on succeeding versions.