March Jobs Report Lays Bare Pain of Budgetary Sequester

Conyers Urges Vote on his Legislation Repealing the Sequester

(DETROIT, April 5) – This morning, the Department of Labor announced that employers in the United States increased their payrolls by individuals for the month of March – less than half of the estimates and far below the February jobs growth of 268,000. Following the release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released this statement:

“With this unacceptable March jobs report it has become all too clear that the budgetary sequester, which arbitrarily cuts government spending by $85 billion this year alone and $1.2 trillion over the decade, has begun to hit the brakes on the country’s economic engine,” said Conyers.

“For many, the sequester seemed abstract when it went into effect a month ago. However, the disappointing number of 88,000 jobs filled or created for the month of March, on the heels of an overwhelming 268,000 increase in payrolls for the month of February, demonstrates the real pain that the sequester has just begun to inflict on our economy. And unfortunately, this is only the beginning, as more than 750,000 jobs are expected to be slashed across the country this year alone.

“For the last 37 months, the U.S. economy has had positive private sector job growth, totaling more than 6.4 million jobs. I seek to continue on this path towards full employment, but as the sequester begins to hit home it is all too apparent that these self-induced cuts are impeding economic progress. It is for this reason that last month I introduced H.R. 900, the ‘Cancel the Sequester Act of 2013.’ It is only a single line, but with one sentence Congress can repeal the part of the law that created the sequester.

“The March jobs report should be a warning sign to my colleagues of things to come. We cannot continue to hold the economy hostage with deep, across the board spending cuts when the gainful employment of working class families is on the line. I strongly advocate for the repeal of the sequester, and I urge Speaker Boehner to hold a vote on my legislation cancelling it.”

###

Crossposted to www.PutAmericaToWork.net
Endorse HR 1000 - The Humphrey Hawkins 21st Century Employment and Training Act

HR 1000 Reintroduced on March 6!!

HR 1000, the Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act, was reintroduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) on March 6, 2013.  This transformative federal legislation would create a national public service jobs program to complement job creation efforts in the private and nonprofit sectors. 

Most notably, the bill "aims to provide a job to any American that seeks work, and to ultimately, create a full employment society."

HR 1000 creates a national "Full Employment and Training Trust Fund," funded by a small Financial Transactions Tax on stock, bond and derivatives transactions. This would create a major new national funding source large enough to create 2.5 to 4 million jobs in the first two years of the program. The bill would also provide much additional funding to support innovative job training programs, such as one-stop career centers, YouthBuild and Job Corps, among others.

(Previous versions of HR 1000 were introduced in 2010 and 2011 (HR 870 and HR 4277)).

For more information, read HR 1000 and the bill summary.

 

Download Full Text of HR 1000

 

Download Bill Summary

Sign our Petition!!

Poster from the WPA Work Programs of the 1930s

Join the movement for Jobs for All by signing the petition to Congress to enact HR 1000, the Humphrey Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act, introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI).

Promote the link to the petition: >> http://www.blastroots.com/campaign/put-america-to-work

Detropia film released

Detropia

Detroit's story has encapsulated the iconic narrative of America over the last century— the Great Migration of African Americans escaping Jim Crow; the rise of manufacturing and the middle class; the love affair with automobiles; the flowering of the American dream; and now . . . the collapse of the economy and the fading American mythos. With its vivid, painterly palette and haunting score, DETROPIA sculpts a dreamlike collage of a grand city teetering on the brink of dissolution. These soulful pragmatists and stalwart philosophers strive to make ends meet and make sense of it all, refusing to abandon hope or resistance. Their grit and pluck embody the spirit of the Motor City as it struggles to survive postindustrial America and begins to envision a radically different future.

- by Caroline Libresco

Visit Detropia web site

National Organizations Endorse HR 4277!

Three resolutions featuring HR 4277 and related jobs legislation have been passed by national organizations in the last several months, including AFSCME, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, and the National Organization for Women!!

See below for the text of the resolutions.

Help build momentum for HR 4277 and a national jobs program by passing a resolution in your religious, labor, civic or community organization, or passing a local resolution in your city, county or state legislature!

And, please let us know if you do suceed in passing a resolution, so we can keep track of endorsements and list them on this web site.

Much thanks and appreciation to Ed Rosario of LCLAA for his help in advancing the resolutions at AFSCME and LCLAA, and to our good friends at National Organization for Women for speaking out so clearly on the jobs crisis and the benefits of HR 4277.

Recently Passed Resolutions that Feature HR 4277

AFSCME 2012 Convention Amended Jobs Resolution -- passed at 40th International Convention, 6/18-22/12, Los Angeles, CA

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) Resolution -- passed at National Confereence, 7/26-28/12, Orlando, FL

National Organization For Women (NOW) Resolution -- passed at National Conference, Baltimore, MD 7/1/12
Draft New York City Resolution in Support of HR 870/HR 4277 (pending)

Other resources for passing local jobs resolutions:

Local Jobs Resolution Toolkit, from Cities for Progress


The text of the AFSCME Resolution follows below:

40^th INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION                                                  

LOS ANGELES CONVENTION CENTER                                                               June 18 – 22, 2012

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA                                         

AFSCME Support for Federal Jobs Acts

1.      WHEREAS:

2.      There is a jobs crisis in which mass unemployment continues to take its toll.  At any given time during the Great Recession and its aftermath in the United States about 14 – 15 million people are officially unemployed (forced to work part-time or want a job but are not looking often because they can’t find one). 16 – 18 million full-time workers earn less than the poverty level.  That means about 44 million people and their families are casualties of the jobs crisis; and

3.      WHEREAS:

4.      Even before the Great Recession, millions were unemployed, underemployed and underpaid; and

5.      WHEREAS:

6.      America’s roads need repair, our bridges are eroding, our children need more teachers, parents lack affordable childcare, seniors lack elder care, millions lack adequate healthcare, affordable housing is under siege, and we must green our economy; and

7.      WHEREAS:

8.      All of these needs can and should be met by the federal government; and

9.      WHEREAS:

10.  This was done during the Great Depression of the 1930’s when Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal put millions of the unemployed to work doing useful jobs that have made a lasting contribution to our nation – roads, bridges, schools, libraries, housing, parks, arts, culture and much more; and

11.  WHEREAS:

12.  The labor movement and all its affiliates and supporters need to support the passage of legislation that guarantees a living-wage job to all who want one.  Steps in that direction are: 1. HR 4277 (Rep. John Conyers, D-MI) The Humphrey-Hawkins 21^st Century Full Employment and Training Act – would create a national jobs program, including 2.6 to 3.9 million jobs over the first two years, in affordable housing, neighborhood rehabilitation, energy conservation and weatherization, infrastructure repair, education, and human services; 2. The Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act – HR 2914 (Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL) would create, 2.2 million public service jobs in school construction and maintenance, park improvement and restoration, education, child care, law enforcement, health care, energy conservation, and affordable housing; 3. The National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2011 HR 402 (Rep. Rosa DeLauro D-Con.) establishes a National Infrastructure Development Bank, an independent body designed to evaluate and finance infrastructure projects of substantial regional and national significance. (A similar bill, S-652, the Senate BUILD Act introduced by Sen. John Kerry would establish an American Infrastructure Financing Authority - AIFA); 4. S. 2252, the Rebuild America Act, introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin in March, a comprehensive bill to invest in roads, bridges and schools, raise the minimum wage, and reform trade policies and the tax code; and

13.  WHEREAS:

14.  Privatization, deregulation and outsourcing are tools for unionbusting and a major source of job loss; and

15.  WHEREAS:

16.  Legislation is needed to create jobs and we need to organize and demand for it now!

17.  THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

18.  The AFSMCE 40^th International Convention being held at Los Angeles, CA – June 18 – 22, 2012, endorse, lobby and mobilize for the passage of the Humphrey-Hawkins 21^st Century Full Employment and Training Act, the Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act and the National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2011, the BUILD Act, and the Rebuild America Act; and

19.  THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

20.  AFSCME urge all its affiliates and friends of labor to endorse, lobby and mobilize for the passage of the Humphrey-Hawkins 21^st Century Full Employment and Training Act, the Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act and the National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2011, the BUILD Act, and the Rebuild America Act; and

21.  THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

22.  That AFSCME and all its affiliates mobilize against all schemes that embrace the privatization, deregulation and outsourcing of jobs and in support of legislation that would employ millions of jobless workers here in the United States at decent pay and for the improvement of the quality of life through repair and expansion of our physical and social infrastructure.

SUBMITTED BY;       Behrouz Fathi, President and Delegate

                                    Frank G. Thomas, Executive Chair and Delegate

  

AFSMCE Council 37

Local 375, The Civil Service Technical Guild

New York, New York

 

How Did Congress Vote on Jobs Issues?

In the national media, a lot of attention is being given to the Presidential race between President Obama and Mitt Romney. 

But when voters go to the polls, they will also need to assess whether Congress has been doing enough to enact legislation to create jobs.  Many members of Congress have staunchly opposed the American Jobs Act proposed by President Obama, and other legislation to create jobs by investing in infrastructure and public services. 

How can voters find out how their member of Congress voted on jobs legislation, and other matters that affect labor rights?

Three resources for looking up Congressional Voting Records on Jobs Issues are:

AFL-CIO Scorecard (2012 and prior years)

SEIU.org Key Votes

UFCW Congressional Scorecard

Workers Stand for America -- Mass Mobilization In Philadelphia

From:  WorkersStandForAmerica.com

Join Us in Philly!

11 a.m. Saturday, August 11, 2012

Eakins Oval
26th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19130

NEW: LIVE DIGITAL COVERAGE ON AUGUST 11TH... (click for more info)

America's Second Bill of Rights

We the People want to strengthen our nation, as a beacon of equality, economic opportunity and freedom for all. We hold these rights to be essential to our vision of America and believe that the principles contained therein should guide our government, business leaders, organizations and individuals in our common goal of a just and fair society.

The Right to Full Employment and a Living Wage:

All Americans willing and able to work have the right to safe, gainful employment at a fair and livable wage. We call on the public and private sectors to invest in America’s infrastructure and promote industrial development, maintaining job creation as a top policy priority.

The Right to Full Participation in the Electoral Process:

Recent initiatives to disenfranchise citizens seek to reduce the rolls of eligible voters and empower money instead of people. We believe these actions constitute an assault on our nation’s democracy and history of heroic struggle against voting restrictions based upon property ownership, religion, race and gender and call for reinforcing our fundamental right to vote.

The Right to a Voice at Work:

All workers have the right of freedom of association in the workplace, including the right to collectively bargain with their employer to improve wages, benefits and working conditions.

The Right to a Quality Education:

Education is a fundamental bedrock of our democracy, vital to America’s competitive position in the world and the principal means by which citizens empower themselves to participate in our nation's economic and political systems. Quality, affordable education should be universally available from pre-kindergarten to college level, including an expanded use of apprenticeships and specialty skills training to prepare Americans for the workplace.

The Right to a Secure, Healthy Future:

Americans have the right to a baseline level of health care, unemployment insurance and retirement security, all of which have been badly eroded by the disruption of the social compact that served the nation well for decades. We call on government and private industry together to confront the issues of declining access to health care especially for children, weakening of unemployment coverage, and inadequate pension plans that undermine the ability of working men and women to retire in dignity, even as Social Security and Medicare are under strain and threatened with cutbacks.

Endorse the Second Bill of Rights at WorkersStandForAmerica.com

Click to Download the "Bill of Rights"in Printable PDF format Click to Download the "Sign-up Sheet" in Printable PDF format