AFL-CIO Executive Council Calls for Round 2 of Economic Recovery
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The nation’s working families and the economy desperately need a second installment on the Obama administration’s economic recovery plan. That plan, says the AFL-CIO Executive Council,
must focus like a laser beam on job creation.
Along with approving an economic policy statement outlining the urgent need for more economic recovery initiatives, the council, convening for a one-day meeting yesterday in Washington, D.C., also welcomed two new members, Letter Carriers (NALC) President Fredric Rolando and AFGE Vice President Rogelio Flores.
The council honored former council members William Young, who recently retired as NALC president, and AFGE Vice President Andrea Brooks, who died in April. To help support the work of the Alliance for Retired Americans, the council proposed the creation of the Preserving Union Values Charitable Foundation.
Although the first round of economic stimulus has made huge strides is shoring up our economy, the council pointed out in its statement that the Bush administration’s economic legacy created such “economic devastation—in finance, housing and jobs,” that
The challenge of fixing this economic mess is enormous—and urgent. Creating good jobs that cannot be outsourced is central to the solution.
Unemployment is expected to hit 10 percent later this year and remain high in 2010. So far 6.6 million jobs have disappeared since the beginning of the recession in 2007, including 1.9 million manufacturing jobs and 1.3 million construction jobs. For those with jobs, wages are stagnant or shrinking and many workers face forced furloughs. As the council statement says:
It is crystal clear that urgent action from the federal government is needed to boost economic growth and jobs, and invest in America’s future.
Letter Carriers Collect Record 73.4 Million Pounds of Food
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Despite an unemployment rate of 9.4 percent in May and tough economic times across the nation, working families responded with amazing generosity by donating a record 73.4 million pounds of non-perishable food in the 17th annual “Stamp Out Hunger” national food drive by the Letter Carriers (NALC) to restock community food banks and pantries.
In more than 10,000 cities and towns, letter carriers collected the food May 9 as they delivered mail along their postal routes. It is the nation’s largest one-day effort to address hunger.
NALC President William Young said:
This is an amazing testimony to the generosity of the American people, even as they themselves struggle to make ends meet in these hard times. Our members take pride in being able to serve their postal customers and help them assist millions of needy Americans, including many working families, children and the elderly.
Last year, letter carriers collected 73.1 million pounds of food. This is the sixth consecutive year that more than 70 million pounds was collected, which brings the total for the drive’s 17 years to more than 982 million pounds of food.
