As the title indicates, today several groups today will call on President Obama to take actions to create jobs:
"It’s time for us to really stoke this issue up," said Hilary O. Shelton, the N.A.A.C.P.’s senior vice president for advocacy and policy. "We’re not so much trying to convince him to do something he doesn’t want to do, but urging him to move forward on an issue we have agreement on."
New York Times: "N.A.A.C.P. Prods Obama on Job Losses"
The AFL-CIO, NAACP, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the National Council of La Raza believe the stimulus was too small and has not done enough to combat unemployment. They agree it has helped, but not enough.
More, after the fold.
Unemployment is hurting many folks, but it especially is high among African Americans and Hispanics, leading these civil rights groups to speak out now:
African-American leaders say it makes sense to pressure the president on jobs because the unemployment rate for blacks has jumped to 15.7 percent, from 8.9 percent when the recession started 23 months ago. That compares with 13.1 percent for Hispanics and 9.5 percent for whites.
The black unemployment rate has climbed above 20 percent in several states, reaching 23.9 percent in Michigan and 20.4 percent in South Carolina.
New York Times: "N.A.A.C.P. Prods Obama on Job Losses"
So, people are getting together to do something about this at the Spotlight on the Jobs Crisis" at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
With unemployment at its highest rate in more than 20 years, Trumka says America needs bold, quick action to put people back to work, in addition to longer term, structural fixes for our economy. The AFL-CIO initiative he announces will include calls to extend help for the unemployed, rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, provide aid to struggling states and communities, create federally funded community-based jobs and increase lending to small and medium-sized businesses to spur job creation.
Other panelists, representing constituencies particularly hard hit by the current economic crisis, are Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change; Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP; and Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza. Lawrence Mishel, EPI president, will moderate.
AFL-CIO Blog
No one needs to tell America’s families that unemployment and underemployment are at crisis levels. We need jobs—and we need them now.
Wall Street has gotten its bailouts. Now it’s time for Main Street to get some immediate help.
The AFL-CIO is calling on Congress and the Obama administration to take five steps now to care for the jobless and put America back to work.
America Needs Jobs Now
Richard Trumka, Presdient of the AFL-CIO, is announcing a plan to put people back to work today:
Richard Trumka:
While millions go without work, some people are talking about "recovery"--as though numbers on Wall Street or profits at the big banks are the same as the real economy for working families. Wrong. We're still in crisis--and if we don't create jobs now, we will slide even further.
We have to put America to work--at good jobs that support families. We've tried out the everything-must-go, trickle-down, bubble economy for the past decade, and it's been a disaster. If we're really going to have a recovery--not just a recovery on Wall Street or for the big banks, but for real people--we absolutely must create new jobs.
Richard Trumka on HufffPO, Nov. 17, 2009.
Here's the Plan:
- We must extend the lifeline for jobless workers. The families who have been hit by this economic crisis are at risk of losing unemployment benefits, food assistance and health care benefits at the end of the year. We need to act now to prevent the human suffering and economic damage that would result.
- Rebuild America's schools, roads and energy systems. We must put people to work to fix our nation's broken-down school buildings and invest in transportation, green technology, energy efficiency and more.
- Increase aid to state and local governments to maintain vital services. State and local governments and school districts have a 178 billion budget shortfall this year alone--while the recession creates greater need for their services. States and communities must get help to maintain critical frontline services, prevent massive job cuts and avoid deep damage to education just when our children need it most.
- Fund jobs in our communities. While workers go without jobs, important work is left undone in our communities. These are not replacements for existing public jobs. They must pay competitive wages and should target distressed communities.
- Put TARP funds to work for Main Street. The bank bailout helped Wall Street, not Main Street. We should put some of the billions of dollars in leftover Troubled Asset Relief Program funds to work creating jobs by enabling community banks to lend money to small- and medium-size businesses. If small businesses can get credit, they will create jobs. The administration can act on this immediately.
Richard Trumka on HufffPO, Nov. 17, 2009.
The AFL-CIO has Live Coverage of Spotlight on the Jobs Crisis.
And watch the live webcast at www.aflcio.org/createjobs
More Information on the Plan Here