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Biden, Solis Tell Workers: ‘We Need Collective Bargaining’
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Tens of thousands of working people under attack from Republican governors in 12 states received some high-level support and encouragement today. In a virtual town hall meeting this evening, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis told the workers the Obama administration will stand with them and will stay with them to make sure their rights are protected.
Joined by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in the call, the Vice President opened with a quote from President Obama saying that “We can’t have a strong middle class without unions.” Then Vice President Biden added:
You built the middle class. This fight is not about wages or benefits; it’s about trying to break unions. We absolutely, positively need collective bargaining.
Solis also said our leaders should be focused on creating good jobs and helping working families get back to work.
That’s important to remember now that as states and cities grapple with enormous fiscal challenges and everyone we know is making sacrifices and meeting those challenges. But some states’ leaders have gone too far. Budget sacrifices are one thing, but having union members give up their rights is another.
As AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said:
I truly believe this moment will be what we make of it. The teachers and firefighters and nurses and EMTs and snowplow drivers on the ground in a dozen states have provided the inspiration and shown us the way. Now we need to carry it forward – the attacks on workers’ rights are huge, but the courage and activism we’re seeing are even bigger. Together we can build a movement for real change.
Trumka urged all the listeners to take the next step toward building that movement by talking with their friends and co-workers about what’s at stake. And he invited them to join thousands of people across the country on and around April 4 for a time of solidarity and action to say, “We Are One, Respect Our Rights.” (If you’re planning an event, whether public or private, click here and post it at our We Are One site.) Find out more about April 4 here.
The virtual town hall was sponsored by the unions of the AFL-CIO, SEIU, the National Education Association (NEA), Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and the Teamsters.
While the workers on the town hall phone call live in Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire, Maine, Minnesota, Iowa and New Jersey, the attacks on workers are nationwide. Across the country, Republican governors and state legislators have proposed a variety of anti-worker measures that would cut bargaining rights, end prevailing wages, enact so-called right to work laws and a host of other measures.
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9 Comments
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This from the NYT Paul Krugman tonight:
“And earlier this week, the White House budget director declared: “There is an agreement that we should be reducing spending,” suggesting that his only quarrel with Republicans is over whether we should be cutting taxes, too. No wonder, then, that according to a new Pew Research Center poll, a majority of Americans see “not much difference” between Mr. Obama’s approach to the deficit and that of Republicans. ”
People do not believe the Obama administration is serious. They are phoning it in just as VP Biden did this afternoon. We need a jobs program. They need to lead.
Dear Mr. Biden,
Please give the President back his shoes.
Thanks in advance,
Jonny Cache
It is time to be selective with our cash. Obama has not earned it yet He was needed in Wisconsin, Florida, and now Michigan ,where is he? Bernie Sanders needs money, he is one of us. find a Senator Governor, or Representative that truly supports working people. Do not spend money in stores (Target) or Wal-mart: Or on products even if they are Union (Bud Beer ) that support the Right wing anti labor movements. Where are the Tea bag screams in Michigan now that the Governor plans to override local elections. Finally we have to separate social issues from economic ones Blindly following a right to lifer who wants to take our jobs is DUMB . If Joe and Charlie or Jane and Mary want to marry it should be less important then taking away our bargaining rights.
Nice words from Biden and Solis. We also had nice words from Obama himself a few weeks ago. But I have seen no evidence he has concretely helped workers behind the scenes in this epic struggle. The opposite: He froze federal salaries a few months ago, and — mostly — he buys into the Republican austerity logic.
I salute the working people of Wisconsin and other Midwestern states. As in the 1930s, direction action, such as seizing a state house — not endless baloney from top corporate Democrats — is the answer. Fourteen Dem state legislators who fled the state are in a different category: proven friends.
Direct action is beginning here in my home state of New York. Democrat Andrew Cuomo has scapegoated public workers and teachers. This is a class war by Big Business against workers. What’s worse, Obama and Clinton are ready to plunge us into yet another new war, this time in Libya, but somehow there is never money for workers and the unemployed.
Sisters and brothers, we didn’t get the CIO by begging for crumbs from Democrats.
It’s about time someone from the White House speaks up and shows support . What happened to Obama’s walking shoes , he said in his campaign he’d walk with the unions when the time came.
Where the hell are they.
“Walmart is the largest corporate welfare company in the US!” They are paid an unfairly low wage, work less than 40 hours so they do NOT get any benefits. But, Walmart will help all their employees fill out their governmnent substidies form . Therefore, the rest of us taxpayers get to help substidise all of Walmart’s employees! How’s that for “corporate welfare”! Unions actually save the taxpayer money!
Obama could give a course on how to be a republican whilst claiming to be a democrat. In my opinion he is just Bushs’ xxggxx put there to sooth the angry mob and to protect George and his crimminal pals from prosecution. As far as campaign contributions, what’s the use? The election process has been hijacked by republican owned and operated electronic voting machine corporations which are used in every state. Their court protected proprietary software means they control the count regardless of the vote, and there is no way anyone can prove the falsity of the results. As long as these machines are allowed to control the process, elections are meaningless. The big hoopla over campaign contributions is a sideshow distracting voters from the real fact that their vote don’t count no matter what. With our so-called leaders like Joe “standing behind us” what good are democrats anyway? All of these union busting tactics republicons are using are illegal acts, yet where are our prosecutors? Governors of states cannot come into office and take over like they are the King. This is really class warfare by the powerful rich and greedy who find that there is never enough unless they have it all. Ronald Reagan was wrong when he said government was the problem, but through his tireless efforts and the efforts of those on the “so called right” they have seized our democracy and have made it so. We must take our government back from the despots who would enslave America for their personal gain. But first we must regain control of the media and communications networks in order to stop the massive propaganda and mind control that is being used to control the public and we must watch closely to who says what to find out who are leaders truely are. It is time for a new party in America, the labor party! A concerted effort to bring everyone to the polls, hand counted by respectable entities, will result in sweeping victories for labor from one end of this nation to the other!
You have to credit Kucinich, Biden, Solis and whomever comes out to lend a hand in this fight. They know the score, that this exercise is about breaking up voting blocks. The lack of national news coverage on this whole event is nothing short of a blackout. I now know more about the peoples struggle in Tunisia, Egypt and Bahrain then I do about what is happening here. Certainly we care about rights for all people but it becomes obvious that as these countries move towards democracy, we, are rapidly moving away from it.
Where was Biden when this was going on in Wisconsin? He did not speak out a single word against Scott Walker. Now he wants to speak out after the fact. I think it is a little too late Biden. Where was Obama’s voice during this? The working man’s President was silent. The working class in this country can not depend on either the Democrats or Republicans. We can only depend on ourselves, our unity, and our solidarity. To hell with these politicians. Oh yeah Obama what ever happen to the Free Choice Act you were going to get passed? I thought it was one of your campaign priorities? Three years into his Presidency and it is now forgotten. That was the only reason I voted for this liar.