Missouri Activists Rally for Jobless
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Cathy Sherwin, AFL-CIO Field Communications staffer in Missouri, sends us this report from St. Louis on yesterday’s Online Day of Solidarity action for jobless workers.
Jobless workers, union members and community activists stood in the freezing cold on Tuesday in St. Louis, joining activists nationwide for a Dec. 7 Day of Action in solidarity with the unemployed.
They urged Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and the Senate to immediately restore unemployment insurance (UI) for a year for the more than 1 million jobless workers currently without any aid since Senate Republicans blocked action to maintain UI benefits for long-term jobless workers.
Right before leaving for the Thanksgiving holiday, a bill to maintain the unemployment insurance for the long-term jobless was defeated in the House. Missouri Republicans Todd Akin, Roy Blunt, Jo Ann Emerson, Sam Graves and Blaine Luetkemeyer voted to deny this critical lifeline to jobless Missourians.
Yesterday, the White House and congressional Republicans announced a deal to extend all the Bush-era tax cuts, including those for the wealthy, along with a 13-month extension of the UI program for the long-term jobless. But its fate is uncertain. Click here to read AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka’s statement.
Lloyd Schultz, jobless Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) member from St. Louis, said:
I can’t wait to go back to work. Unemployment insurance is the only thing keeping many of us with a roof over our heads and food on the table this winter.
Business Owners, Elected Leaders Support Employee Free Choice
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Over the past week, union members have made more than 4,000 calls and sent more than 8,000 letters to members of Congress urging them to support the Employee Free Choice Act to protect workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain.
Meanwhile, more and more small business owners, community members and lawmakers are indicating their support for the proposed legislation, which would level the playing field for workers seeking to form unions.
Events with entrepreneurs and business owners are taking place around the country as hundreds of business leaders are coming out in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. One such business leader is Ray Kohl, owner of Goldenrod Printing in Lincoln, Neb.
The Employee Free Choice Act is important to me because I think employees need some control over their working environment. I think it’s really important that they have a say in their conditions that they work under, the benefits and pay that they receive for their work.
