Statement by AFL-CIO’s Union Veterans Council on Mitt Romney Tapes

September 18, 2012

The following statement was issued today by James Gilbert, Director of the AFL-CIO’s Union Veterans Council and veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, in response to recently-aired comments by presidential candidate Mitt Romney:

“Though unsurprising, Mitt Romney’s comments are shamefully disrespectful to all of America’s veterans and military families. The same 70,000 American troops currently serving in Afghanistan whom Romney neglected to acknowledge in his convention speech are a part of the 47 percent he says ‘should take personal responsibility and care for their lives’. U.S. Troops keeping us safe and serving in designated combat zones like Afghanistan – not required to pay federal income tax during that time of service – know far more about responsibility than Mitt Romney.

Romney’s ignorant criticism of government ‘entitlements’ show total disregard for the families of the more than 6500 American service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. As someone with a family member killed who leaves behind a wife and young child that receive survivorship benefits, this is personal for me as it is for many other veterans and military families.

Furthermore, these disgraceful comments show his lack of concern for the nearly 50000 Wounded Warriors who receive vocational and occupational therapy, the 8.3 million veterans in the U.S. that receive care at one of 152 VA Medical Centers or nearly 1400 community-based outpatient clinics around the country. The $11 billion cut to the VA in year one of the Romney-Ryan budget was enough to know just who he means when he says ‘my job is not to worry about those people.’”

Keri A. Shanks, Senior Secretary

AFL-CIO Media Outreach Department

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on Chicago Teachers Strike

September 10, 2012

Chicago’s students, teachers and educational support staff – in fact, the entire city of Chicago -- deserve a school system that works for everyone.  That is what this strike is about, and that is why the AFL-CIO wholeheartedly supports the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).

We are all united in support of a collectively bargained result that ensures educational success for every student in Chicago. Chicago schools require change and reform, but those changes will only work for the students if they are done collaboratively and reflect the input of the teachers and paraprofessionals who actually do the hard work of education.

We’ve been monitoring this situation closely and in close touch with the AFT, the parent union of the CTU. No one wants to strike.  And teachers recognize the enormous financial strain facing the district and the city. But right now, Mayor Emanuel’s proposal does not provide the elements necessary to ensure success for Chicago’s students or educators. We’d like to thank Chicago’s educators, Jorge Ramirez and the Chicago Federation of Labor, who are working together to ensure a successful school system for every child.

May 8 Primary Voter Guide

With the May 8 recall primary elections less than two weeks away, we wanted to be sure that you had the necessary information to cast an informed ballot at your local polling location.

 

You can look up your polling place and check to see if you are a registered voter by visiting https://vpa.wi.gov/. Early voting is now underway in all six recall primary races. You can cast an in-person absentee ballot until the close of business on May 4 at your local municipal clerks’ offices.

Remember, you do NOT need a state issued ID to vote and can register to vote in-person on the day of the election. For more information on how to register to vote visit http://www.wisconsinvote.org/.

There are two statewide primary elections being held on May 8. One for the office of Governor and one for Lieutenant Governor. There are also primaries in four Senate Districts. Republicans are running fake Democrats in all six primary races so it is important to know the facts about the candidates before heading to the polls.

The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO has made the following endorsements:

• Lori Compas - Senate District 13
• John Lehman - Senate District 21
• Kristen Dexter - Senate District 23
• Donna Seidel - Senate District 29
• Mahlon Mitchell – Lieutenant Governor
• Kathleen Falk – Governor

The above candidates are committed to fighting for worker rights, education, health care and a fair economy. They will work to advance the needs of working class and middle class Wisconsinites – not out-of-state millionaires and billionaires.

Cast your ballot on Tuesday, May 8 and mark your calendars for the general election which will be held on Tuesday, June 5.

Source: Wisconsin State AFL-CO Blog

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

On Ohio Issue 2 Citizens Veto
November 8, 2011

One message rang loud and clear tonight in Ohio and across the country: those who spend their time scapegoating workers and pushing a partisan agenda will only strengthen the resolve of working people. From the very beginning, it’s been clear that Gov. Kasich, and indeed many politicians, were pushing an agenda that was about politics, not about solving our nation’s problems or creating jobs.

Today’s defeat of Issue 2 is a major victory for working families in Ohio and across the country. Ohio’s working people successfully fought back against lies pushed by shadowy multi-national corporations and their anonymous front groups that attempted to scapegoat public service employees and everyone they serve by assaulting collective bargaining rights. And it’s a great day for common sense, as Ohioans from all backgrounds and political parties rejected the crazy notion that the 99 percent -- nurses, bridge inspectors, firefighters, and social workers -- caused the economic collapse, rather than Wall Street.

Politicians in Ohio and across the country should finally understand that working people will fight hard to ensure the survival of the middle class, and politicians who fight battles for the richest 1% will find their radical efforts stopped by the voices of working people.

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on

“Gang of Six” Plan
July 20, 2011

Both parties keep telling us that deficit reduction requires “tough choices” and “shared sacrifice” and “taking on sacred cows.”  But then we keep seeing bipartisan support for plans like the so-called “Gang of Six” that cut Social Security benefits, kill jobs, give tax incentives for corporations to export good jobs overseas, tax health benefits, and lower tax rates for billionaires and corporations.  There’s no shared sacrifice here.  The only sacred cows being gored are working people, the middle class, seniors and the poor.  Though the plan is very specific when it comes to spelling out tax cuts for rich people, there are still a lot of blanks to be filled in.  Even so, we’ve seen enough to know that there is nothing here for working people.  We need to keep asking our leaders: “Who got us into this mess?”  It wasn’t working people.  The people who got us into this mess are getting off scot-free, and this Gang of Six proposal shows they have accomplices in both parties.

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on Bureau of Labor Statistics report on union members in 2010

WASHINGTON – ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual “Union Members – 2010” report released on Friday, January 21.

“The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that, in 2010, the unionization rate of employed wage and salary workers was 11.9 percent, down from 12.3 percent in 2009. Among private sector employees, the rate dropped to 6.9 percent from 7.2 percent in 2009.

“The data also shows the median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary union members were $917 per week, compared to $717 for workers not represented by unions. For Latinos, the wage disparity is even greater with union members earning an average of $771 compared to $512 for workers not represented by unions, a difference of 33.6 percent.

“When coupled with existing data showing that union members have access to better health care, retirement and leave benefits, today’s numbers make it clear that union jobs are not only good jobs, they are central to restoring our middle class.

“As workers across the country continue to face lower wages and difficulty finding work due to the recent recession, these numbers demonstrate the pressing need to provide workers with a voice in the workplace and protect their right to organize and bargain collectively.”

(From the Secretary of Labor regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics union member report for 2010)