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Trumka: To Solve Job Crisis ‘We Must Create Different Kind of Economy’
After meeting with several unemployed San Diego workers this morning, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka spoke at a rally of workers, union, community and faith leaders calling for creation of a local jobs program.
What I’ve seen here this morning as I sat with some of the hard-working people of this great city—people who through no fault of their own are without jobs—is another grim reminder of the ever-present struggles of working families in this city, this state, this country.
He said the labor movement and the nation’s leaders must “respond as never before to create a different kind of economy.” Click here to read his entire speech.
The San Diego rally was one of several stops on Trumka’s California tour to spotlight the need to create good jobs for America’s workers and to call for justice and fair contracts for hotel workers engaged in a bitter contract struggle with several national hotel chains.
The rally highlighted the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council’s Local Jobs Agenda, which emphasizes hiring local workers for public works projects. The central labor council is pressing the City Council to adopt the agenda.
Before the rally, Trumka met with several long-term unemployed workers, including a laid-off hotel worker and single mom. The woman’s son has hemophilia and she not only lost her health coverage when she lost her job, but she cannot afford the premiums to keep her health care through COBRA.
In an example of what can be done to address the jobs crisis, Trumka spent part of the morning with students at the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council‘s pre-apprenticeship training program that helps prepare students for construction and building trades unions’ apprenticeships. The program focuses on at-risk youth. Trumka praised it for
taking kids who had no where to go—kids who many folks had given up on them—and giving them the school and job skills they need to have a future.
Later today, Trumka will meet with union members, labor leaders and Orange County officials to discuss job creation projects and prospects there, especially a massive construction project in Irvine dubbed, “The Great Park.”
Tomorrow in Los Angeles, he will meet with students at the Electrical Workers (IBEW) Training Institute, where they are learning skills to prepare for family supporting jobs—with a special emphasis on green jobs. He also will join workers for a rally and picket in front of the Hyatt Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
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“Trumka: To Solve Job Crisis ‘We Must Create Different Kind of Economy’
How is the “Economy” to be “different”?
The U.S. corporate-capitalist economy, “free market” capitalism, 30 years in decline and now collapsed, is indifferent to the needs of working people for good jobs to sustain their families.
A transition to a socialist economy is essential for the survival of humanity. A socialist economy is based on filling the economic needs of working people and building a ecologically sustainable society and stable economy.
2. How can a socialist economy, opposed to the gangster capitalism that is destroying the economy for private profit,
be brought into being?
It does not help when, Mr. Trumka, you supported Obama and the Democrats in the corrupt “Health Care Reform”, against the explicit unanimous demands of the AFL-CIO for “Medicare for All”.
By eliminating all corporate profiteering from the Health Care delivery system, a huge step towards a “Different Kind of Economy” could have been made.
THERE IS STILL TIME, MR. TRUMKA, TO DECLARE YOUR SUPPORT FOR SINGLE-PAYER MEDICARE FOR ALL . …. RIGHT NOW… TODAY! JUST CALL A PRESS CONFERENCE AND LET BOUGHT POLITICIANS IN CONGRESS THAT THE AFL-CIO IS MAKING A STAND! WARN ALL CORRUPT POLITICIANS THAT THEIR POLITICAL LIVES WILL BE ON THE LINE IN NOVEMBER 2010 IF THEY REFUSE TO SUPPORT “MEDICARE FOR ALL”
This would be so easy to do!
3. Stop waiting for “the nations leaders” (perhaps when hell freezes over?) to help creating the millions of jobs needed today.
Stop waiting for capitalists (interested in maximization of profit),
who have moved millions of jobs to China and abandoned working people in the U.S. to decide they can make the huge profit in the U.S. This will only happen when workers in the U.S. can be paid less in wages and benefits than the “slave-wages”
in third world countries.
4.) Last year, there were many stories about the anti-worker, anti-consumer shoddy construction of companies such as Pulte
(do a SITE SEARCH on Pulte Building Industry for stories).
HERE IS ONE SMALL SUGGESTION THAT THE AFL-CIO COULD START TO IMPLEMENT TODAY THAT WOULD BYPASS WAITING FOR CAPITALIST DEVELOPMENT OF NEW JOBS. (POSTED AS A COMMENT LAST YEAR)
JerryWells on 17.05.2008 at 20:19 (Reply)
Privatized home sonstruction, as in every for-profit business, is legally bound to reward it’s owners and shareholders maximize profits. In labor intensive industries, such as construction, where the companies can’t go to China, the only places left to make a big buck is to cut corners on quality and materials or to screw the workers. The usual practise has also been to focus on building expensive homes ( over a half a million dollars and more) where greater profit is possible, and not build lower cost but affordable homes for working class people
It is past time for the labor movement to think beyond the traditional practises and modes of action.
1. Why not organize worker-owned and managed construction companies in different areas to produce lower income and affordable housing? By eliminating the profit of the investors and million dollar income of the CE0s, and working with the potential customers to determine what housing is needed and how to mazimize modern technologies, the housing crisis could be solved to everyone’s advantage except perhaps corrupt and greedy contractors.
2. Architectural competitions could be organized nationwide for architects to come up with new modern housing designs. Manufactured housing companies could be established by unions with employ architects, etc, union menbers for the manufacuture and installation of such homes.
3. Apartment complexes with the full ammenities needed by families with children, or for seniors in retirement (with different needs) could be built
around the country. In Europe (especially Scandanavian countries) comlete eco-villages already exist). A humanistic and socialist solution to end the speculation and corruption in the housing business, provide jobs for many thousands of workers. Every new apartment/condo/house needs all the new appliances, wiring, plumbing, etc.etc employing many thousands more people.
4. The federal, state, and local governments could help finance these projects with long-term, low interest or no-interest loans, that are fixed interest and perhaps cannot be used for speculative purposes. People who retire or want
to change residence would have to sell first to other people willing to pay for housing under these terms.
5. To do this we must end the wars in the middle-east, cut the war budget by 50 percent or more, re-instate taxes on the wealthy etc.
In other words tax monies should be used to provide for the needs of the people, not just to fill the pockets of the billionaires who now own and control just about everything needed by people to live.
Here in Dallas, our Jobs with Justice and Workers Rights Board are raring to go. We need a national petition! We’ve been using one we made up.
We also need model resolutions for unions and other organizations.
How do we get these things ASAP?
Gene Lantz, labordallas@sbcglobal.net
What has to happen to get this economy back on track is for our unions to step up their organizing efforts. Places like WalMart, Home Depot and Loews must become union shops as well as main street shops. We must have job security again and if that means that we get laws into place making job security number 1 then so be it. Employers should not be able to fire without a just reason such as theft or sexual harassment or something as serious as these. We must go into the High schools and educate our young people on the value of a union job whether it’s in construction or as a nurse or sales clerk. When we educate our young people on the value of union jobs they will force their employers to become union,pay good wages which will allow them more money to put back into the economy.
We need a ‘different kind’ of economy alright. One without obscenely overpaid corporate ‘suits’. And definitely one without illegals. We could also do without the ‘legal’ importation of foreign labor on those overused and abused H1-B visas. We have plenty of Americans who will do those jobs. The companies just have to pay American wages! It’s time big business was told they will no longer be running this country. It’s time to take back our government and tell it to do the job for which it was established. And that job? To do what’s right for America and her citizens and other legal residents.
You guys are all liberal and all wrong !
You don’t get it….The GREAT RONALD REAGAN applied conservative principles to failing New Deal Socialist economy of the 1970′s under liberal Carter. And since 1980 we have made over 30,000,000 jobs by applying the genius of RONALD REAGAN CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES !
You don’t see these great conservative jobs because they happen to be in MALAYSIA !
You lazy, good for nothing Marxists need to listen to and obey the Reagan like wisdom of REAL AMERICANS like Sarah Palin and the great Sean Hannity….and get it through your heads that you need to stop whining and start competing with those Malaysian workers by working cheaper than they do and thereby making yourselves useful to your masters who OWN this great land.
Now let’s all begin by saluting the flag and reciting the pledge of allegiance. Because we are taking the names of all who don’t OBEY !
May Jesus bless our country; the last best hope of freedom and Ayn Rand.
By the way did you guys know that Jesus was a banker and he wore a gray pinstripe suit with an American flag on his lapel
Also, Jesus loved the rich and hated socialists.
He also spoke English way back then…..but not merely English. Jesus spoke with a southern accent and had a televangelist show on TV before there was TV.
God Bless America and God Bless this special kind of Reagan-Palin-Hannity “FREEDOM” !
I agree that we should hire local workers.
Why are we letting in so many foreign workers, when so many Americans are out of work?
the unions made a big mistake backing obama. he is the most ignorant president we have ever had
We need an economy that puts our people before profits. In short we need to rid ourselves of the so called “Free Market” economy as well as any National Labor Leadership who cater to the corporate sponsored two party system. We need a bonafide US Labor Party. Is there any National AFL-CIO President who has what it takes to STAND UP for the RANK and FILE?
IF Trumka is serious about a different economy, he ought to be calling for a socialist economy and an end to capitalist exploitation. He was once a worker. Why not advocate for an economy owned and controlled by workers? Otherwise the words are just empty rhetoric, meaningless.
And as long as labor is in bed with the capitalist Democrat-Republican Party, we’ll be stuck in an economy that exploits workers and enriches the corporate elites and speculators. It’s way past time for reform and regulation and a great time to put forward a Labor Party and start pushing for a socialist economy!!!