AFT Civil Rights Conference: Help Turn America Around
Public school teachers must work hard to make the nation’s schools places where the suffering of the nation’s children is alleviated. In her keynote address to AFT’s Civil, Human and Women’s Rights conference, Oct. 23-25 in Miami, union President Randi Weingarten said teachers can help turn America around by advocating for change inside and outside the classroom.
Building on the conference theme, “Rise, Advocate, Collaborate, Educate: Our Civil Rights,” Weingarten urged the hundreds of union members and allies to fight for health care reform, affordable housing and after-school activities for students, as well as for tools and resources in the classroom.
Said Weingarten:
We know that it takes a village to raise children. We have to pull in partners and fight to ensure that parents and children get the services they need.
Shuler: We Need to Let Young People Know About Unions
Nearly 300 young activists and students came to Washington, D.C., last week for the A Better Deal 2009 conference, and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler was on hand to let these young people know that the labor movement is here to fight for them.
Sponsored by Demos and an array of youth and progressive organizations, A Better Deal 2009 looked at jobs, debt, education, health care and other issues facing young people in a challenging economy. The Electrical Workers (IBEW) were there as well and have a great new video on the conference and young people’s concerns about building a strong economic future.
Here’s what Shuler has to say on the need to make the union movement accessible, relevant and attentive to the next generation:
I think now is the perfect time to reach out to young people, because of the economic devastation that we’ve been experiencing. I think young people have been disproportionately affected, and we need to connect the dots for them and make sure they know that the labor movement is the best answer to their economic troubles.
Shuler in Pennsylvania: We Must Inspire Next Generation
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Speaking at last night’s annual dinner of the Southeastern Area Labor Federation of Pennsylvanian, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler told the state’s union members we must get energized and active so that we can address the needs of a generation of young workers left behind by an economy that isn’t working:
We need to reach out to millions of unorganized workers who just don’t see us as the answer to their problems. To tell you the truth, they don’t see us at all. Above all, that means young workers in their 20s and 30s….They don’t have a connection to the union movement….No wonder young workers don’t realize what we have to offer them.
Shuler, who has been traveling nearly non-stop since becoming the youngest person ever elected as a top AFL-CIO officer last month, cited the AFL-CIO report “Young Workers: A Lost Decade,” which found that workers under age 35 have been hit especially hard by the economic crisis. The economic hardship damages their earning power now and well into the future.
Jobs Crisis Will Affect Young Workers for a Lifetime, More Recovery Aid Needed
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Speaking at the second and final day of the Demos conference, A Better Deal 2009, Algernon Austin, an analyst at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), said the U.S. economy was failing young people long before the current recession was officially declared. He called the prospects for young workers “bleak” and said the nation needs additional investment in recovery.
Even before the recession, we had a very weak economy in terms of job growth, economic growth—it was one of the historically weakest periods for job growth—and now we’ve been hit with the hardest recession we’ve seen since the Great Depression. For young people, this impact has been particularly difficult.
Shuler: Young People Must Take Lead in Building a New Economy
Today at Demos’ A Better Deal 2009 conference, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler got a chance to lay out her vision for a new economy—and to hear from young leaders about what they need.
Shuler, the youngest person ever elected as secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, is making outreach to young people her top priority as a leader in the labor movement.
In a wide-ranging speech that touched on making sure new jobs are good jobs, financial reform, health care and the Employee Free Choice Act, Shuler talked about the crisis the nation faces—and the opportunity we have to fundamentally rebuild our economy so it works for future generations.
I don’t need to tell you that we’re in an economic crisis. Your generation is living it.
Live Coverage of Liz Shuler at A Better Deal 2009
Seth Michaels is posting live from the 2009 A Better Deal Conference.
Today, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler is speaking at “A Better Deal 2009.”
The conference, which runs today and Friday, is hosted by Demos, an advocacy organization focused on building a fairer economy, and a variety of sponsor organizations focused on youth and the economy.
Shuler will speak about the challenges facing young people and the policies we must fight for to build a better future.
We’re covering Shuler’s speech live on Twitter, and you can follow it right here.
Tomorrow, Join Us for ‘A Better Deal’
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Tomorrow, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler will give the keynote address at the A Better Deal 2009 conference here in Washington, D.C.
The conference, which runs tomorrow and Friday, is hosted by Demos, an advocacy organization focused on building a fairer economy, and a variety of sponsor organizations focused on youth and the economy.
Women and People of Color Down for the Count in Jobless Recovery
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In this cross-post from Huffington Post, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker says women and people of color are being hit hardest by the recession.
A close look at the unemployment figures shows that while white males are taking it on the chin in this recession, women and people of color are down for the count.
Although, in this recession, unemployment is rising faster for whites than for African Americans, the fact is that the jobless rate for minorities is still significantly higher than that of whites and has been for a long time. And with this recession looking to be long and deep, these higher rates of unemployment could have dramatic consequences for economic security, homeownership and child poverty rates, among other things.
Young America Wants Health Care Reform
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| Ari A. Matusiak |
As the AFL-CIO report, “Young Workers: A Lost Decade,” recently found, some 31 percent of workers under age 35 have no health insurance–even if they have jobs. Millions more young workers have insufficient coverage. It’s a dangerous situation, and too many young workers would be left bankrupt if hit by an accident or unexpected illness.
Ari A. Matusiak, founder of Young Invincibles, a health reform advocacy group, says in a new AFL-CIO Point of View guest column that these young workers need health care reform now, and that they need to join together to fight for it.
Young Americans with no insurance are overwhelmingly unable to afford insurance without an employer contribution and live with the daily fear that a single medical event could send them into a spiral of debt. The 13.7 million young uninsured are not invincible–they are a significant cohort that desperately needs meaningful reform.
For young adults facing the specter of unemployment or lack of insurance, the picture is bleak indeed. Health care is ruinously expensive, underlying conditions such as asthma or diabetes are grounds for disqualification, and fewer employers than ever offer the option of insurance. Fortunately, real reform is achievable.
Shuler Kicking off Conference for ‘A Better Deal’
Continuing the fight to build a fairer economy now and for future generations, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler will give the keynote address at the upcoming A Better Deal 2009 conference hosted by Demos, an advocacy organization focused on building a fairer economy.
The conference, set for Oct. 15-16 in Washington, D.C., will look at the crisis facing today’s young people in an economy that just isn’t working for them. As documented in the AFL-CIO report, “Young Workers: A Lost Decade,” young people are struggling to find good jobs that provide them with fair wages, health benefits, retirement security and decency on the job. The next generation could be on track to be the first in a century to be worse off than their parents, and that sets a dangerous standard for generations to come.
