Republicans keep saying that there have been no jobs plans coming from the left. Nothing could be further from the truth. Obama has proposed several job producing measures, but Republicans have opposed them all, even the ones he based on their own earlier proposals, The Peoples’ Budget is an excellent jobs plan, because it includes stimulus. These are just two among several. Now The AFL-CIO has offered a jobs plan, and it’s a good one.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is very active in advance of the Labor Day holiday. In addition to releasing the video above (and another video, see below), the organization released it’s "America Wants To Work Action Plan." The plan (which can be read in detail here) includes six planks:
1. Rebuild America’s schools and transportation and energy systems: The plan argues that reinvesting in this critical, but crumbling, infrastructure will create millions of new jobs.
2. Revive U.S. manufacturing and stop exporting good jobs overseas: A number of policy proposals are included in this section, including strong opposition to free trade deals.
3. Put people to work doing work that needs to be done: This one is largely a repeat of No. 1 above, but also includes other policy options proposed by progressive members of Congress.
4. Help federal, state, and local governments avoid more layoffs and cutbacks of public services: This is an important focus — the bipartisan assault on government workers at all levels is a big problem with the current failure in boosting the job market.
5. Help fill the massive shortfall of consumer demand by extending unemployment benefits and keeping homeowners in their homes: These moves are so obvious, it’s a crime that they haven’t been done yet.
6. Reform Wall Street so that it helps Main Street create jobs: Wall Street used to help Main Street, but they’ve moved away from that. Maybe we should do something about that…
Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>
The plan’s simplicity is elegant in matching what Americans need with American workers’ need for jobs.
Here is a Labor Day weekend message from Richard Trumka.
Go Labor!
24 Responses to “The AFL-CIO Jobs Plan”
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7. Find a Democrat candidate to run against the president in the primary who has some will to work for Americans and not republicans and their banking and corporate masters.
I couldn’t have said it better!
Welcome Stephen. 🙂
It’s just not reality.
It’s not happening, Mark. The choice we will have is between Obama and a Republican.
What truly stands in the way of growing the economy is the uncertainty of Obamacare. As the great Commrade Pelosi said “We have to pass it to find out what is in it”. Well, we’re finding out. No CEO or business owner in his right mind is going to expand his business with this bureaucratic morass hanging over his head.
Is that the best you can do?
Tend to agree with TMW here! Ideas are great, but if noone will implement them who cares!
Lee, there is only one person might have done it. Bernie is supporting Obama
Yes to all of the above— this approach is not as simplistic as it may appear with a quick reading– It will take planning and coordination to implement– but most of all cooperation among those who would truly put the welfare of their country above any political ideology
Phyllis, when I said ‘elegantly simple’ I was referring to it’s intent.
Obama cannot unilaterally implement anything. If you want something done, stop crucifying the only president we will ever have on our side and start getting rid of the republican obstruction. Whenever Obama has been able to unilaterally act on his own he has – people either willfully ignore it or they don’t care what he does they just want to get rid of him for some “unknown” reason. If you want to destroy the left, keep pounding the stupidity of primarying a more successful president than LBJ AND Clinton. I guarantee you our fracturing will only help the republicans and I for one out of millions will not vote against Obama.
As of right now, I won’t be sharing anything from trumka or anyother leftist who is so myopic and illiberal as to have any sense to continue to disgracefully and obtusely bash Obama for reasons that only an insane mind filled with hate and anger can conceive.
Blam.
Welcome Jose. 🙂
Nothing in my article crucified the President. I supported him in 2008, and I shall support him in 2012. However, I will not lie for him, and when his performance falls short, I say so. A supporter who will tell him the truth is better for him than a sycophant.
The simplicity of it will elude the Tea-publicans.
Truth always does, Patty.
It is now to the point of infantile to continue to cry about “Rushpubliscum obstruction” when this President has consistently, and constantly, folded to them at every turn. This looks more like Rushpubliscum COLLABORATION to me, as the President has never hesitated to throw dems under the bus who were willing to stand up and fight.
And this constant re-iteration of “most successful President” rings every bit as hollow as the “economic growth” of the Chimpy era. Sure, he can point to the huge percentage of bills passed, but what does it mean, when (1.) the freeloading rich are still allowed to run away with their goody bags, (2.) the Chimperial policies regarding things like “deferral” which led to all the job offshoring are still in place, and (3.) the only thing he seems to have in the way of alleviation of the misery all over America today is more tax cuts that never did work, and do not work? This President has bought entirely into the right wing mantra of taxes and regulations, in spite of all the decades of evidence to the contrary. If this guy is the one “fighting for me,” I am ready to let him leave the battlefield. Actually, the battlefield seems to be the only thing this President is interested in.
We need a LBJ. We have a Mister Rogers. This isn’t working, and it isn’t going to work. He’s one of them. Forget about what he says, and take a hard look at what he does.
Which Republican would you prefer, my friend?
Well, in a perfect world, we’d all have gumdrops and fairy dust. I agree with both Jolly Roger and TomCat — this is the world we live in and having a third-party candidate will just dilute votes from Obama and risk a President Perry.
Overall, I think the AFL-CIO did a credible job and the message from their president is a good one. What’s not to like about putting Americans back to work, rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure? Oh, it costs a lot of money. Well, ignoring both issues does too.
Thanks Ann. We need to consider that getting the economy going again will generate more money than it costs over the long term.
What people don’t seem to understand is that if you buy Made in America you support a job in America, buy Made in China and you support a job in China.
Wall Street loves it when people buy Made in China, they make more profit! I used to buy Under Armour until they moved their manufacturing jobs offshore and raised their prices. I now buy clothes from http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/men.html and they are better and cheaper than Under Armour!
So before you run out and buy foreign made goods read the label and buy Made in USA – if retailers find their sales going down then they will start to sell more goods made in the USA, until then I buy on the Internet!
Welcome Steven. 🙂
Thanks for the link. I saved it in my favorites. I always try to buy America. Sadly, all too often I find that either there are no American suppliers of an item, or that the American company has outsourced production.
I use that site he posted. We have stores all over Memphis carrying truly American made. It amazed me the first time I went on, to discover I was already using some of the items, especially the clothes and hand tools. THX
Wow! The StillMadeInAmerica is a fabulous site. I just spent two hours reading and admiring the art work of Gary Weeks Furniture, handmade in Wimberley, Texas. I forwarded the link to all my contacts and urged them to forward to everyone they know. Plan to do all my Christmas shopping from it’s many members. Thanks so much!
1. Rebuild America’s schools and transportation and energy systems — From what I’ve seen lately (particularly in Scary Perry land), the Republicans are setting up kids to be uneducated and unmotivated. With unskilled people in the future, all the jobs requiring highly skilled workers, technology for example, are going to go to foreign workers. That really helps too, doesn’t it!? As for transportation, if you don’t have the infastructure to get products to markets or get people to work or kids to school, there are going to be big issues. Maintaining is a lot cheaper than having to basically reconstruct it.
2. Revive U.S. manufacturing and stop exporting good jobs overseas — Outsourcing both manufacturing and skilled labour is disastrous. I worked in banking where basic routine and repetitive jobs are out sourced to China for cheaper $’s. Of course the management euphamistically say this is to free up staff to do more client centred activities. BS! Then the layoffs start. Can you imagine a Chinese worker trying to talk to a Canadian solicitor (lawyer) about mortgage documents they are checking? There is a knowledge issue which can particially be conquered through training, but there is a large language issue.
3. Put people to work doing work that needs to be done: This one is largely a repeat of No. 1 above, but also includes other policy options proposed by progressive members of Congress.
4. Help federal, state, and local governments avoid more layoffs and cutbacks of public services — there has to be a concerted effort by all levels of government to work together to keep the public service viable and efficient.
5. Help fill the massive shortfall of consumer demand by extending unemployment benefits and keeping homeowners in their homes — Consumer demand will only go up when people can afford to buy what they need. In order to afford, people need to have a suitable income from their jobs, or unemployment benefits. The Canadian government extended employment issurance payments by as much as another 20 weeks back in 2009. I know that meant a lot to me and has kept me in my home.
6. Reform Wall Street so that it helps Main Street create jobs: Bring in sufficient regulation in the banking sector that the average consumer is protected from Republican thugs. Devise programmes that are run through banks but are designed to promote private sector growth in small to medium size businesses. Large corporations need not apply!
The plan is simple but the execution will take a coördinated effort. There needs to be decisiveness, efficiency in the planning, and above all, commitment to getting the country back on its feet. Politicians need not apply for the early planning stage but be available to draft and pass legislation as needed. That means also that the politicians need to work together — they all need to put the country first. Do you hear that Republicans? After all, politicians are elected by the people to SERVE the people, not fleece them!
That’s the plan!