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Trumka: Obama Absolutely Right to Make Jobs Top Priority |
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Obama’s call tonight to make jobs his No. 1 priority in his State of the Union message is the right message, says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. As Obama said tonight:
Jobs must be our number one focus in 2010, and that is why I am calling for a new jobs bill tonight.
Obama called for small business tax breaks to encourage hiring and infrastructure spending. He urged passage of tax incentives for larger business to keep and create jobs in the United States, and an end to tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. He also proposed taking $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat—a proposal similar to one in our AFL-CIO jobs initiative.
As Trumka said:
We must act on a scale that will be meaningful: We need more than 10 million jobs just to get out of the hole we’re in. We want health care fixed. We want our leaders to break the stranglehold of Wall Street and the big banks and make them pay to repair the economic damage they created.
Obama praised the House for passing a jobs bill last month and urged the Senate to do the same. And as lawmakers on Capitol Hill have slowed reform of health care, Obama urged Congress not to walk away from reform.
He also rightly pointed to how the steps his administration has taken have alleviated the economic suffering of working people. Steps that included the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has ensured that 2 million Americans are working right now who would otherwise be unemployed. The act is on track to add another one and a half million jobs to this total by the end of the year. All this was done while cutting taxes for working Americans, Obama said.
We cut taxes for 95% of working families. We cut taxes for small businesses. We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. We cut taxes for 8 million Americans paying for college.
Saying that America’s workers are frustrated and angry, Trumka said, “the President was right to call out Republicans for obstructing change and putting politics ahead of progress.”
Now it’s time for all of us to get busy and work together to bring the big changes that are essential—starting with enacting a jobs bill that is big enough to create jobs for the millions of people who want to work and can’t find jobs. The time for small change is long gone. We were pleased to see that the President embraced two of the job creation proposals we have made—investing in infrastructure and helping small businesses get credit through TARP funds.
The AFL-CIO’s five-point plan to create jobs immediately would begin to put people back to work and ease the economic hardships on Main Street’s working families who, unlike Wall Street bankers and brokers, have borne the brunt of the economy’s meltdown. The plan, which Trumka says will soon be expanded, includes:
- Extending unemployment insurance for the long-term jobless (due to run out next month) along with expanding food stamp assistance, and health care benefits (COBRA) for unemployed workers and their families through COBRA.
- Rebuilding the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
- Increasing aid to state and local governments to maintain vital services and jobs.
- Funding jobs in neglected communities.
- Using left over bank bailout funds to get credit moving to small Main Street businesses.
Trumka also says the AFL-CIO is gearing up for a nationwide jobs campaign with allies and communities. While we “will not agree with every aspect of every proposal,” he says, we will
continue to be an independent voice for middle class Americans and fight for the change working families need—and we are ready to do more. This is the time for a broad movement of Americans demanding jobs and an economy that works for all, and we’re ready to put our energy and leadership into building that movement—taking the fight to the doorstep of the banks that are exploiting struggling homeowners, of corporations that are running away from communities and of lawmakers who choose to back them up.
35 Comments
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I believe Brother Trumka is absolutely right about the President’s jobs plan.
Having said that, I’m disappointed the President did not say anything about the Employee Free Choice Act.
Thought he did say that the Employe Free Choice Act should be passed. Hope he did.
HE RIGHT ABOUT A JOB PLAN , BUT WE NEED TO SEE WHAT HE WILL DO AND WHERE THE JOB PLAN IS ALL ABOUT AND WILL IT REACH WORKING AMERICA ! HE SHOULD HAVE DONE A JOB PLAN THE FIRST DAY IN OFFICE ITS A LIITLE LATE DONT YOU THINK ?
American workers need me, because I need to be again an American worker. I agree Employee Free Choice is a must, along with the “at will” laws at the state levels MUST be overturned. These “at will” laws give too much power to the employer and allows these temp services ie: Manpower, Kelly etc, to play games with the workers livelyhood. American industry was built, in part, by the knowledge brought to the job, by the expierence of the worker.Quakity and workmanship can’t be achieved, with a job over turn every 5 months.
MR.TRUMKA-you are sadly mistaken sir.obama’s policies will destroy the united states.healthcare reform alone will destroy the economy and bankrupt us.government needs change but thinking like obama will doom our country.think about it.everything wrong with our country is because of capitol hill.if we don’t stop the madness there will be no jobs.wake up sir before it’s too late.
YES OBAMA IS WRONG IN SO MANY WAY I AND SO MANY FEEL HIS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS WAS SO DISINGEUOUS AND HE STILL WANTS TO FIGHT FOR SO MANY THINGS AMERICANS DONT WANT , ITS HIS IDEOLOGYS IS WAHT AMERICA IS FIGHTING NOW AND HE PUNISHED AMERICANS FOR A YEAR NOW KNOWING THIS JOB STIMULUS WOULD NOT WORK DID NOT CREAT ANY JOBS AND TRILLIONS GOING BACK TO THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THIS ECONOMY FALL . NOW THATS ILL LEADERSHIP !
Why doesn’t the government not make it so profitable to send our jobs out of the country… I think any American Co. should be taxed higher on all imports… The CEO’s are getting the benefits of living here why not share in the costs?
YOUR RIGHT AND WE ARE THINKING , JUST LIKE THIS HEALTH CARE THE CONGRESS AND THE U S SEANTE HAVE SOLD OUR JOBS OVER SEAS FOR SPECIAL INTEREST AND LOTS OF MONEY FROM LOBBYIST , LOOK HOW MANY OBAMA HAS HIRED IN HIS ADMINISTRATION DOZENS, WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU .. THATS WHY WE HAD NO TRANSPARENCY OR ACCOUNTABILITY !
THE ANSER IS VOTE CANCER AND CORRUPTION OUT OF OFFICE THIS FALL 541 CONGRESS SEATS WILL BE UP AND 1/3 OF THE SEANTE WE MUST MAKE THIS STAND AND VOTE THEM OUT THATS THE ANSER AND TAKE CONTROL OF OUR LIFE’S
Trumka, What about pushing for universal single payer? The days of health care being tied to jobs should be put in the grave with the dinosaurs. If we want to compete in the new global economy we need to get into line with the rest of the world.
YES YOU ARE SO RIGHT AND RICHARD SHOULD LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENT THEN HE IS AND SAYING THINGS THE WAY HE IS … OBAMS IS NOT DOING WHAT HE SAID HE WOULD DO AND SO MANY DONTN TRUST HIM AND GOOD REASON WHY NOT TOO !
AMEN to RICH! PLEASE COPY, PASTE, PRINT AND PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!! IT IS ABOUT TIME BOTH PARTIES GET OFF THEIR FAT BUTTS AND GET SOME BUSINESS DONE. THEY DON’T DESERVE MORE OR BETTER THAN EVERY OTHER AMERICAN CITIZEN. NOBODY PUT A GUN TO THEIR HEAD AND FORCED THEM TO GO INTO POLITICS.
Congressional Reform Act of 2010
1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your
term(s), then go home and back to work.
2. No Tenure / No Pension:
A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your
term(s), then go home and back to work.
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security:
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, Congress participates with the American people.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, server your
term(s), then go home and back to work.
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans..
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your
term(s), then go home and back to work.
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your
term(s), then go home and back to work.
6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career… The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your
term(s), then go home and back to work.
7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they imposed on the American people..
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your
term(s), then go home and back to work.
8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1/1/2010.
The American people did not make this contract with congressmen, congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your
term(s), then go home and back to work.
Obama did not and will not go far enough. We need a new New Deal, with massive public investment in public works. And as long as funding for the war machine remains at record highs and is protected by the twin parties of the capitalist military industrial complex, there will be no funds for school construction, small business loans, infrastructure repairs or anything progressive. The change we can believe in starts with cutting military spending and ending the wars and occupations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.
the problem in ending those conflicts is that the 500,000 soldiers that are in the Guard or Reserves are entittled to thier jobs back when they return home (rightfully so).There lies the catch-22, some will have their jobs gone and be unemployed or get the job back and boot someone else to the curb
Great writing Paul B. I often wondered why NOBODY mentions the unbelievable spending by the defense department. It is the most out of control branch of the fed. They do what they want, when they want, any way they want, with zero scrutiny, and then charge us 5 to 10 times the actual cost…and you don’t hear a peep about it. We should cut that bullshit in half and rebuild OUR NATION from the inside out. A jobs program rebuilding our roads bridges and schools, and health care are all thing we could do with that money.
Women deserve equal pay for equal work. Period.
Our sisters deserve our support. Let’s roll!
http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pfa_alert_cosponsors&autologin=true&AddInterest=1343
Outstanding comments.
You captured the spirit of his speech and reflect the sentiments of America’s Silent Majority who have become America’s Forgotten Middle Class.
FYI,
Early on in President Obama’s State of the Union speech, he mentioned the challenges facing Elkhart, Indiana.
The “10-to-4 Percent Unemployment Jobs Creation Plan” (the “10-to-4 Plan”) will solve that problem. It calls for Elkhart’s skilled workers to manufacture different goods. This means they will need materials from raw material suppliers, component manufacturers, and transportation workers to deliver the goods. These products will solve problems in cities like Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, Washington, and San Diego.
But, that is not all.
Then, we could export these products and have a favorable impact on our balance of trade.
President Obama clearly appealed to politicians from all parties to work together. Perhaps, it is a new day in America.
For our children and our children’s children, we need to work together. We need to re-launch our domestic economy or risk forfeiting the American legacy of creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, industry and altruism.
WE NEED IMMIGRATION QUOTAS IN AMERICA LOOKING AT THE CENSUS DEPARTMENT FIG’S FROM 1990 TO 2000 WE HAVE BROUGHTN IN 32 MIILION FOREIGH BORN WORKERS WITH WORK PERMITS TO TAKE AMERICA JOBS , HAS THE UNION EVER ASKED WHY WE NEED SO MANY FOREIGN WORKERS IN THE USA NOT COUNTING THE 14 MILLION ILLEGALS AND THAT MAKES 46 MILLION PEOPLE IN 10 YEARS , WHAT IS THIS 2010 CENSUS BE LIKE ?
WHAT OUR THE EFFECTS OF SO MANY PEOPLE IN THAT TIME PERIOD AND ALL THE LOSS OF AMERICAN JOBS OVER SEAS , FOR GREED OF PROFIT TO CEO AND STOCK HOLDERS ON AMERICANS , THAT BIG PROFIT TO SO FEW ? WE IT CREATS INFLATION , GAS UP , FOOD , INS TO AUTOS UP , HEALTH CARE COST , AND ALL COST EVERY WHERE YOU LOOK SUPPLY AND DEMAND WHICH DRIEVS OUR ECONOMY , BUT STOP AND THINK WHO PAYS FOR IT THE TAX PAYER AND WHO GETS THE FREE RIDE ILLEGALS AND WE PAY IN SO MANY AREAS , THATS WHAT IS BANKRUPTING AMERICA AND WHY OUR ECONOMY IS WHER IT IS AND THE OTHER AREAS OF BANKS GIVE OUT BAD LOANS THAT WERE TO BY THE AMERICAN REINVESTMENT ACT . WE NEED TO WAKE UP AND VOTE OUT CANCER AND CORRUPTION FROM CONGRESS , U S SENATE AND STATES , WE MUST NEED TO MAKE THIS STAND . AMERICAN STAND UP AND MARCH FROWARD TO FREEDOM !
Paul B., amen. We have been denied the lessons of our own Labor history not only by the schools, which deliberately teach nothing, but by our union beaurocrats who fear an educated, activated and organized membership more that the bosses and their friends, the politicians. Our history reveals that opposing imperialist war has always been a cornerstone upon which militant unionism has been built. Eugene Debs - they give an award in his name, but don’t tell you that he went to jail at the height of his popularity for opposing the slaughter of WWI - the “war to end all wars”. MLK - they tell us he died supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, which is true, but they don’t tell us that it was the U.S. Government which had him killed, and they did it to silence his opposition to the genocide in Vietnam.
Right on Bro! However, all those evil socialized countries are eating our right wing conservative hocus pokus market fundamentalist lunches. And kicking our ass’s while we suck China’s ass.
Mr. Trumka,
If you and President Obama want jobs, then you should be telling him to start over with health care reform and institute Single Payer. This would free up jobs OVERNIGHT when workers would no longer have to work for health care and could retire or move into another field of their choice.
Sea Star RN
Great comment!
testing to see if this posts
as FDR was quoted if you want something make me.perhaps we should make congress and the president create good jobs here ,punish companies that outsource overseas,are in violation of basic human rights and to get a national health care plan
Obama is making things worse for jobs.He has yet to wake up and realize that the republican party is a terror group.
He is wrong on high speed trains, we need that like we need a hole in our head.
He nominated B Bernanke for Fed when he should be putting B. Bernanke in jail.
He keeps putting money into corporations that are terror group sympathizers with the republican terror organization.
This guy and a lot of those democrats on the hill are not patriots or our friends.
Where has Barry been all year? On the planet OZ. He finally got it? This is the true intellectual everyone has been talking about! He must be a very slow learner. If his health plan was so good, some Republicans would have voted for it. But the Dems were cutting all kinds of deals and voting in the dead of the night. Exempting people who live in Kansas forever. Exempting Labor unions for five years. Exempting congress and Barry and his wife forever. If it is so good, why are they exempted. We are all in the same boat. What is good for all, has to be shared by all.
So many deals! I am a former sky marshal and a retired law enforcement officer and a Republican. Republicans are not members of a terror group and I think “Suddencall’s comments are not helpful and should be removed.
WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THIS LONG FALL OF THE AMERICA ECONOMY . IT STARTED WITH JIMM CARTER WITH THE AMERICAN REINVESTMENT ACT , AND THAT ACORN GROUP WAS IN THE BACK GROUND OVER 50 YEARS AGO LOOK INTO ITS HISTORY , THEN CAME ALONG SLICK BILL CLINTON AND HE DOUBLED DOWN ON THE REINVESTMENT ACT AND HAD JANET RENO AS A/G FORCE BANKS TO GIVE LOANS AND DROP LAON STANDRADS TO GIVE LOANS TO PEOPLE WHO COULD NOT PAY THEM BACK AND THERE WERE MANY , CLINTON PUT IN FRANKLYN BARNINES TO DO THAT YOU CAN FIND ALL THIS INFO AND ITS EASY TOO ! ( NOT SURE ON CORRECT SPELLING OF HIS NAME ) IN POSTION ON BUYING BACK ALL THOSE BAD LOANS AND OVER A 5 YR PERIOD HE WAS PAID 90 MILLION IN BONUSES . THEN WE WE WENT ON TO BUSH’S TERM AND IN 2006 THE DEMS TOOK CONTROL OF HOUSE AND U S SENATE WALL STREET BOYS JUMPED IN ON THE DEAL LIKE WILD COW BOYS RUNNING A MUCK … THE LAST TO MONTHS BEFORE BUSH GOT OUT WE HAD THE TOW BIG LOAN COMPANYS FOLD AND WHEN THERE WERE BEFORE CONGRESS HEARING , THEY DID SAY THEY KNEW THIS THING WAS IN TROBLE YEARS BEFORE IT HAPPEN ! WHEN BUSH TRIED TO BRING IN A INVESTIGATION IN THE HOUSE BARNY FRANK TOPED IT AND THE SAME WITH THE U S SENATE WITH SEN DODD FRON CONN. THATS ONE REASON HE GETTING OUT , SO IF BLAME IS TO BE PLACED IT MUST BE PLACED WHERE IT BELONG ON THE ONES OVER THERE WHICH MADE THIS HAPPENED , WE MUST REMOVE HATE AND BE HONEST WITH OUR HEART AND MINDS FOR US TO SEE WHAT MADE THIS MELT DOWN ! NOW THE BSET FOR LAST , OBAMA HAS BEEN A ATTORNEY FOR MANY YEARS AND WAS IN THE CHUCAGO GROUP FOR A GOOD NUBER OF YEARS , AND HE WORKED FOR ACORN FOR A LONG TIME AND WAS RIGHT UP THERE WITHN THEM TEACHING MARXIM , HE HAD MADE A SUIT CASE FOR ACORN TO FORCE BANKS TO GIVE LOANS TO MANY GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO COULD NOT PAY THEM BACK , NOW MOST MONEY IN BANKS BELONG TO THE PEOPLE WHO PUT MONEY IN SAVINGS , ETC , THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND WHEN IT GOES BAD , THE FEDS PAY IT BACK AND ITS TAX PAYERS MONEY , SO WAHT YOU HAVE HERE IS A SLICK CORN GAME BY SLICK PEOPLE [PALYING AMERICANS AND TAKING THERE MONEY IN SO MANY WAYS , SO WAKE UP AMERICA !
Suddencall is right. Obama is on his way to join closeted phony republican scumbag Charlie Crist to launch the expensive new high speed train system linking Miami, Tampa and Orlando. Great! Soon I can travel from Miami to Tampa in 3 hours instead of 5. That gives me 2 extra hours to walk around wondering “What the f#*k am I doing in Tampa?”
(Regardless, its still better than wasting the money slaughtering impoverished innocents overseas.)
RICHARD , MANY OF US FELT OBAMAS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS WAS VERY DISINGENUOUS AND HE WAS BACK TO HIS SAME OLD GAME SAY ONE THING AND DO HIS OWN THING … THATS WHY YOUR SEEING THE CAHNGE ACROSS AMERICA AND IN THE LAST 3 STATES . UNION MEMBERS WILL NOT VOTE FOR CORRUPTION BILLS FROM OBAMA OR CONGRESS AND THE U S SEANTE , WE NEED CHANGE SO PEOPLE OUR VOTING OUT CANCER AND CORUPTION IN AMERICA ACROSS THE COUNTRY .. HEY DONT WORRY RICHARD WE WILL DO IT ! AMERICANS WANT A CONSTITUTUTION AND THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE AND WE OUR NOT GETTING FROM OBAMA OR THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS AND THE U S SENATE .
WE DONT WANT THAT HEALTH CARE AND IF ITS OVER OUR DAED BODYS WE WILL FIGHT TO THE END ITS FULL OF CORRUPTION AND BAD DEALS THAT WILL COST AMERICAN DEARLY … ITS OUR MONEY WE WANT TO USE THE WAY AMERICAN SEE IT , NOT THERE CORRUPT WAYS … THE UNION LEADERSHIP NEEDS TO TAKE A FEW STEPS BACK AND GET THERE HEADS OUT OF OBAMS BUTT AND STEP BACK AND SMELL THE ROSES AND TAKE A GOOD LOOK BEFORE YOU CAOME TELL ING UNION MEMBERS TO VOTE SUCH BAD AND CORRUPT DEALS LIKE HEALTN CARE .. WE LIVE BY A CONSTITUTION AND THE SAME AS THE UNIONS .WE LEAD WITH HONESTY , TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY , RICAHRD HAVE YOU CHANGED THE CONSTITUTUTION ?
OBAMA WITH ALL THE PROGRAMS HE STARTED HE GAVE THE MONEY BACK TO THE CORPERATION THAT MADE THIS MESS AND SIDE STEPT AMERICANS . HE SHOULD OF PUT ALL EFFORST ON JOBS THAT WOULD OF BROUGHT EVERTHING AROUND , ITS TO LATE , WE SHOULD IMPEACH OBAMA !
trumka has to start listening to his members, as obama needs to listen to the american people
Mr. Trumka,
I wish you and the rest of OUR union leaders would abandon your own personal and political agenda for wealth and power. Just look at the comments here! You are not listening to us. We are sick and tired of you and other union leaders being puppets of the Democratic agenda. Put your partisan politics on the shelf and help those of us you represent for a change. We are telling you what we want. LISTEN!!!
Please Mr. President make sure if we are rebuilding America’s infrastructure or creating jobs we use American steel, glass, asphalt etc. NOT Foreign made goods!!!!
We need to stay the course - and get the President to change his. While a great improvement over the last 8 years
We need health care- not insurance. The AFLCIO has endorsed single payer - we need to keep pushing.
We need to realign our spending- The AFL CIO has endorsed bringing our troops home.
We need to reform labor law- What about EFCA and card check recognition
We need pensions that provide a guaranteed benefit. Not these 401k style investments.
It is time for Pres. Obama to change his advisors and get advisors who care about people.
And almost forgot the AFLCIO stands for human rights in Colombia, where labor leaders are assasinated regularly. How could our Pres. call them a good partner— for shame
I agree with everything warehouseman says except the first sentence. We need health care, not insurance is a great slogan and sums up the debate, or lack thereof. All of the other issues should be pushed stronger by the AFL-CIO, especially workers’ rights in Colombia, where U.S. aid and troops prop up a regime which murders union organizers.
But the first sentence confuses me, because “stay the course” at this point means failing to influence Obama or get him to change anything. We need a new course - a course of direct mass action. A National March on Washington for Jobs and Against War is the jump start we need before we can even hope to force a change in policy on these important issues.
Mr. Trumka, Thanks for all your help by traveling and listening and
questioning the President. I am so impressed by you both for caring about the middle class. I am in AZ, which has no unions. It
is a right to work state, and the state is so broke, our news is saying it may have to lay off police and maybe firefighters. This is unacceptable. Arizona needs help. They are so broke they are
shutting down parks and state attractions . They are voting for a 2 cent price increase and doubled property tax. TAX TAX TAX. We have one of the highest rates of unemployment and the foreclosures are outrageous. Homeless people are everywhere and all the shelters are full. The constable threw a woman with 5 children and her mother in a wheelchair on the street. A man killed himself when they gave him an eviction notice for late mortgage payments. This happens on a regular basis) This was just a few days ago. I hope something happens soon. The taxes are outrageous on an already over burdened out of work middle class in Phoenix, AZ and the rest of the state.