Franken Amendment ensures due process for defense contractor’s employees

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Senator Al Franken (Official Portrait)

Senator Al Franken (Official Portrait)

Remember when one of his future colleagues said Al Franken was going to be a clown? Even though it may be a surprise to the pundit class, those who actually paid attention to Al Franken’s campaign and not old YouTube clips wouldn’t be surprised that Franken would try to do some work in Washington, DC.

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) proposed an amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold defense contracts from companies like KBR “if they restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court.”

via Think Progress » Franken Wins Bipartisan Support For Legislation Reining In KBR’s Treatment Of Rape

Defense contractors required all workplace discrimination, sexual assault and/or safety issues had to be dealt with in private arbitration and could not be taken to court. So if a worker was sexually assaulted, discriminated, at risk due to unreasonably unsafe work environments or harassed, the victimized employee (or their families in case of unlawful death on the job), were required to sign away all rights to due process. Franken’s amendment basically ends these violations of their citizen’s rights.

The “clown’s” Amendment passed 68-30. Kudos to Senator Franken.