S. 2143: WAGE Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-11-16 · Labor and Employment · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-11-16 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

WAGE Act

Plain summary

Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act or the WAGE Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to award back pay and additional damages to any employee whose rights under the NLRA have been violated by an employer; impose penalties upon an employer for failing to post a notice of the rights of their employees under the NLRA; impose penalties upon an employer whose violations of the NLRA result in the discharge of an employee or other serious economic harm to the employee; provide civil remedies, including restraining orders, and a private right of action for violations of the NLRA; require the NLRB to issue an order requiring collective bargaining when a majority of valid ballots have been cast in favor of union representation; prevent the classification of employees as supervisors for the purpose of denying such employees the protections of the NLRA; and expedite the establishment of initial collection bargaining agreements. The bill empowers the NLRB to enforce its own orders without petitioning a court for enforcement.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

WAGE Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] · 31 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Tim Kaine (D-VA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] reported raising $3.6 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s2143.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s2143 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115