Richard Trumka: ‘We Want Paychecks, Not Unemployment Checks’
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‘We Want Paychecks, Not Unemployment Checks’
Today at 9:15am
Workday Minnesota editor Barb Kucera reports on the Minnesota AFL-CIO’s job action yesterday.
Cement mason Jessica Keeley had a message for lawmakers Wednesday at the state Capitol:
We want to collect paychecks—not unemployment checks!
Keeley was among hundreds of workers and union leaders who rallied to urge theMinnesota Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) to take action to save and create jobs. They said the government cannot cut its way to prosperity and must use fair taxes to fund important public services. As Keeley put it:
The bottom line is we can’t grow private sector jobs without fair public sector investment.
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler and Democratic Reps. Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum were among the speakers who echoed that message.
Nationally, about one in every 10 workers is unemployed. And that doesn’t include those who have stopped looking and are no longer counted.
“This jobs crisis is a disaster,” Shuler told the crowd. “We need to take action to create jobs….We need to take it now.”
Ellison said the rally signified “a movement for working-class prosperity. We have a vision of everybody who wants a job has one—and it pays good.
The vision, he said, also includes health care, education and retirement security for all.
We are together demanding prosperity for working people.
McCollum said that while the economy started to show some employment growth last month,
the jobless numbers are just plain unacceptable. We have more work to do.
While the Legislature acted last month to pass a jobs creation bill, union leaders worry that lawmakers’ response to the state budget crisis will undercut any gains made. Already, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor majority in the Legislature has approved $222 million in program cuts and Pawlenty has signed the legislation.
Mike Buesing, president of AFSCME Council 5, the largest state workers’ union, said:
If the Legislature balances the budget with cuts alone, essential services will be gutted and at least 3,400 public service jobs will be lost.
The solution, Buesing said, is “We need to grow good jobs. And we need to tax the rich.”
Several speakers said wage earners pay a far larger share of their income in taxes than do the rich. They urged a change in state tax policy to generate the money needed for public services.
“It is time for a balanced approach,” said Linda Hamilton, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association-National Nurses United, who warned the cuts are jeopardizing the health of the state.
Shar Knutson, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, which organized the rally, said:
That’s why we’re here today—to stand up for a Minnesota where we invest in our people….Everyone pays their fair share to improve everyone’s quality of life.
After the rally, participants fanned out to meet with lawmakers and reinforce that message.
The very best job creation program would be socialized healthcare which would create up to ten-million new jobs and the re-creation of the CCC and WPA all paid for with funds and resources ending Obama's dirty wars.
The St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant should be brought under public ownership producing what people really need.
Too bad the Minnesota AFL-CIO didn't turn out as many people to support legislation aimed at saving the St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant and the "Minnesota People's Bailout" which were introduced by progressive DFL'ers and killed by the bankster Jim Metzen and his bunch of "Summit Hill Club" Democrats bought and paid for by the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association which has created over 40,000 poverty wage jobs working in loud, noisy, smoke-filled casinos where Minnesota workers have no rights under state or federal labor laws.
And, what's up with the Minnesota AFL-CIO remaining silent when it comes to public officials not enforcing affirmative action when public works jobs are created:
http://kickitupanotch1917.blogspot.com/
http://www.airpi.org/pubs/indinsov.html
about an hour ago · Report
Richard, thanks to the link about "sovereignty;" as far as I know there isn't one single organization concerned about human rights-worker rights who thinks that any sovereign nation is entitled to abuse working people and be free from international labor laws... I would call to your attention the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights which offers NO exclusions:
Last I heard there isn't a tribal government that hasn't relied on this document to make its claims for justice--- I don't think this is a document intended for sovereign nations to "cherry pick" which rights they want to choose to implement and enforce; do you?
"Sovereignty" isn't a license to abuse working people even if the mobsters operating the Indian Gaming Industry think so---but, we all know these mobsters don't respect any laws except maximum return on their investments... what was that Meyer Lansky said? Something like "Someday we are going to be bigger than U.S. Steel." Well, with more than 350 casinos in the Indian Gaming Industry spread out across this country--- Meyer Lansky's "dreams" have come true as one little old man sitting in Boca Rotan, Florida--- the inheritor of the "family business" Meyer Lansky heired to him, now owns every single slot machine and table game in these casinos; and make no mistake this is a non-Indian white guy who has left the "sovereign" Indian Nations with, for the most part, nothing but a huge pile of debt... but, like with gambling itself, there always have to be a FEW big winners to lure in the suckers... and such it is with most of the 350 casinos in the Indian Gaming Industry--- one only has to enter any of these casinos to wonder why any Native American Indian lives in poverty seeing the one armed bandits sucking in the money--- over 40% which leaves these sovereign Indian Nations and who knows how much the Kansas City Mob has "skimmed" with no accountability at all.
By the way, Richard; your definition of "sovereignty" makes no mention of how "sovereign" any nation can be when it is loaded with debt... check out who is "investing" in these casinos... it is union pension funds... possibly the reason organizing has proceeded at a "turtles pace." Talk about your "sweetheart" deals... just ask the building trades unions what kind of "deals" they have worked out with these sovereign Indian Nations--- the Tribal leaders and the union leaders engaged in these "sweetheart" agreements should be in prison; instead they are living like parasites off the wealth created by casino workers living in poverty.
Yours in struggle for the rights of ALL working people.
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
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