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Take Back America 2007 Kicks Off with Focus on Jobs |
More than 3,000 activists and leaders from across the wide spectrum of the nation’s progressive movement—workers, environmentalists, civil rights activists, community organizers and economists—are in Washington. D.C., this week for the Take Back America 2007 conference.
The Apollo Alliance—the coalition that seeks to create “green collar” jobs—and the AFL-CIO’s innovative economic education initiative, An Economy That Works for All, made up two major parts of the first day’s agenda. The conference is sponsored by the Campaign for America’s Future and the Institute for America’s Future Center and is part of an effort to build on last year’s electoral victories to move our country forward toward a more Democratic society. 
In his opening remarks, Robert Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America’s Future, said:
The conservative era that defined our politics for the last quarter century is at its end. The struggle for what comes next has now begun. That will be a fierce contest. This is our time—but only if we make it so.
Let me restate this. The right has failed. Their policies are bankrupt. Their political project has collapsed. They still dominate the Republican Party but are well on their way to turning it into a minority, regional party of white exclusion.
Americans are looking for a new way forward. Progressives now must step up and champion a bold agenda for reform that meets the challenges that we face. Build an independent movement of increasing sophistication and capacity. Consolidate a new and enduring majority for change.
The Apollo Alliance’s twin goals are energy independence and the creation of family-supporting jobs to achieve independence. Speaking on the Apollo Alliance panel this afternoon, Alliance President Jerome Ringo pointed out that far too often, American workers produce the raw materials used to make solar, wind and other alternative energy machinery and equipment that then is shipped overseas to be manufactured by low-wage workers—and returned again to U.S. consumers.
We’ve become the energy colony of the world—we need to mine the iron ore Minnesota, make the steel in Pennsylvania and shape the turbine blades in American plants.
Also on the Apollo Alliance panel, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, put it this way:
There are more jobs to be created by moving forward with the agenda of energy independence than not.…These are good “green collar” jobs.
The Apollo Alliance has moved forward on that strategy in Pennsylvania. Steelworkers District 10 President John DeFazio says the alliance, working with Katherine McKinney, head of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, reached an agreement with a Spanish manufacturer of wind power turbines that formerly exported the equipment to the United States to open four plants in the Keystone state employing 1,000 workers.
In addition, DeFazio said, the firm agreed to respect the workers’ choice to form unions at new plants and agreed to majority sign-up at its new plants. Majority sign-up (card check) is the centerpiece of the Employee Free Choice Act (S 1041) now in the Senate. The bill would allows workers to join a union when a majority sign authorization cards.
In March, the AFL-CIO Executive Council approved a broad new economics outreach program with the goal of educating and mobilizing union families and the public around a worker-centric economic agenda—good jobs, health care, retirement security—to combat the last quarter century of a corporate-centered agenda that has left wages stagnant and produced a massive income gap between working families and corporate executives.
In presenting the program for An Economy That Works for All, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka said, “We all need to take part in this war of ideas.”
We can set the stage to build a movement to change our country’s economic policy—a movement that works for all of us. Our unions are ready to meet the challenge, but we need allies, progressive groups, economists…so we can win a workers’ agenda for economic justice to change the direction of the country.
Also as part of the economics forum, Larry Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), briefed participants on the Agenda for a Shared Prosperity developed by EPI and a network of progressive economists.
If we do not address the economic challenges that American working families face, we are not worthy of being called a progressive movement.
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America needs to get back into the AUTOMOBILE BUSINESS. The Automobile companies and all of its subsidiary companies need to be RETURNED TO AMERICA THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY BUILT AMERICA THE AUTOMOBILE GAVE THE STEEL WORKERS, TIRE MANUFACTURERS AND A HOST OF OTHER JOBS,,,,THESE JOBS CREATED THE MIDDLE CLASS…….MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE,,,,AMERICA NEEDS TO BE THE BUILDER OF AUTOMOBILES,,,,,,BY AMERICAN CITIZENS.
The lost jobs of the last 30 years were lost because capitalists could make more profits in labor intensive industry by going overseas. Working people’s standard of living has thus steadily declined. Organized labor has steadily declined over this period. U.S. capitalism, unable to compete against foreign cheap labor, has found new ways to make money. PRIVATIZATION has virtually destroyed essential social services, health care, public education but generates massive profit for drug companies, health insurance companies, etc.There has been a MASSIVE shift in wealth during this period from the many to the very few (3-5% top wealthies own 90% of all wealth). WAR is now the big profit maker for the military-industrial complex. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Project for the New American Century (Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, gang)realized U.S. was top military power… and could enforce terrible treaties like NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO,etc. on every country that desperately needed trade. Result? MASSIVE IMMIGRATION of impoverished from Mexico and Central America. etc.etc.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION? We must end this form of gangster capitalism now! We must end the economy organized to profit a tiny minority. The economy must be re-directed AWAY FROM WAR towards the fulfilling the needs of vast majority of people of the country. The U.S. has over 700!! bases overseas. These need to be phased out by 90%. We need to cut the military “defense” budget by at least 50%. Taxes on the super-rich and corporations must by restored to pre-Bush and Pre-Regan eras. THIS THINGS MUST BE DONE BEFORE WE CAN EVEN THINK OF RESTORING THE DESTROYED SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE U.S.
WHAT MUST THE EXISTING ORGANIZED LABOR MOVEMENT DO, ESPECIALLY WITH THE NOVEMBER 2008 ELECTIONS APPROACHING?
1. It must break with being a “business partnere” to corporate capitalism.
It must realize that this existing gangster capitalism is destoying the people of this country and planet. Run-amok capitalism is destroying the planet with global warming, massive pollution, destruction of peoples, cities entire countries!
2. The existing organized labor movement, using what resources it has,
must become the NATIONAL VOICE of all working people, regardless of whether they are in a union or not! A national media on television/radio/internet must educate and explain to all what has happened to America and why it is imperative for our economic survival and ecological survival to make a MASSIVE TRANSITION FROM A CAPITALIST ECONOMY TO A DEMOCRATIC AND SOCIALIST ECONOMY. (opposed to communism? absolutely! more in line with Chavez is doing in Venezuela of using national economic resources to help the people of the country live. OR more in line with countries like Scadanavian countries with child-care, health-care, living wage jobs, etc.)
3. THE LABOR MOVEMENT MUST BREAK AWAY FROM THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY - WHICH IS TOTALLY CAPTURED BY CORPORATE INTERESTS. THE LABOR MOVEMENT MUST ORGANIZE A NEW POLITICAL PARTY …. NOT MERELY A PARTY OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT BUT A PARTY OF ALL WORKING PEOPLE, DEDICATED TO SOCIAL EQUALITY.
IS THIS A FANTASY? perhaps. BUT IT IS A NECESSITY!!!
The organized labor movement (with money, personnel, networking, knowledge of working people’s needs, etc.) can make this START happening. It must organize health care workers and patients, teachers and parents, urban dwellers and rural, college students and young working people, to bring them all working together.
The labor movement must seek the best people who agree with the platform of Change to RUN FOR OFFICE at every level of government!! TEACHERS FOR SCHOOL BOARDS, PEOPLE FOR CITY COUNCILS, STATE LEGISLATORS, FEDERAL OFFICE. ETC. WE NEED TO INVOLVE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE IN THE ESSENTIAL CHANGES NEED FOR THE COUNTRY TO SURVIVE.
THE PROJECT FOR A NEW AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
DO IT NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE! TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!
jeremy@infowells.com
I hope you don’t just “delete” my previous… admittedly long… email.
Is there any debate or discussion at the AFL-CIO about changing tactics
of last 30 years… that has led to the destruction of the labor movement…
and decide to:
1. Decide your totally opposed to gangster capitalism and inevitable wars
…. even if some organized labor is making good wages building bombs.
( new jobs should be created to re-employ these people in creating low-
cost housing, new public transportation, new sources of energy, new
health care systems, etc.)
2. Break completely with the Democratic Party! No a dime to these
people who are totally complicit with Republicans promoting unending
wars for profit.
3. Start a new party … for all working people (not just organized labor,
which is sel-defeating, limited). Create a platform, seek out supporters
run for office at every level of government local, state, federal in support
of the new party platform. emplower people to make the platform from their
needs and experiences!
4. CREATE MASS MEDIA! THE VOICE OF LABOR SHOULD BE ON THE RADIO AND TELEVISION IN EVERY CITY. AM AND FM. AND INTERNET.
5. RUN AGAINST ALL REPUBLICANS AND ALL DEMOCRATS (WHO ARE TOTALLY DESPISED BY THE ELECTORATE AS LIARS AND CROOKS AT THIS POINT!!)
6. DO IT NOW! NOVEMBER 8, 2008 IS NOT FAR AWAY. NEITHER IS THE
DEATH OF THE PLANET FROM GLOBAL WARMING IF THESE PEOPLE CONTINUE. OR MASSIVE NUCLEAR WARS IN THE FUTURE IF THESE LOONIES CONTINUE WITH PRE-EMPTIVE WARS.
7. PLEASE TAKE THIS APPEAL SERIOUSLY. Without organized labor
moving there will be nothing but unending protests, marches, etc. or more
Democratic Party hacks and crooks, most millionaires, who ultimately don’t
give a damn about the destruction of working people.
jeremy@infowells.com
Jerry Wells, Santa Monica, CA