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Per-plexd wants to know:
What ever happened to those infrastructure jobs? Not the supposedly shovel-ready ones but the long-term ones. The ones that were going to help rebuild our roads, bridges, storm and sewages water systems ad nausem? You know, WPA, CCC, TVA style.
Tim in Sacramento says, “Green jobs present an enormous opportunity for our future.”
However, there’s concern that federal funds are subsidizing a low-road green economy. How do we ensure that green jobs are good union jobs that will help rebuild America’s middle class?
DC Proud points out: “In some urban areas, unemployment rates exceed 20 percent.”
Yet the particular plight of these communities is barely on the radar screen of many policymakers and even less so the mainstream media. What plans are there to target help to these areas?
Per-plexd, Tim and DC Proud have each submitted questions for AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who will hold a live webcast Dec. 15 to answer the top-ranked questions. I hope you will submit a question or vote on your favorite. The webcast, and the online tool to submit a question and vote on questions, is at: www.aflcio.org/open.
(Sign in here to participate if you have a Google account: http://bit.ly/7uk5gZ.)
The AFL-CIO has proposed a five-point plan to immediately address the nation’s jobs crisis, and Trumka took our message to the White House last week at President Obama’s Jobs Summit.
But we need to keep the heat on. It’s up to the grassroots to outshout Wall Street.
Also, be sure to stop by for the live online video discussion on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 4 p.m. EST.
Because, as one person noted in the questions, “We can’t just flip burgers for one another.”
We need an economic game plan that creates jobs which support families.
8 Comments
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Why not show your strength by organizing a pissed off Union Members march on Washington; 70% of your membership in attendance; headcount anyone?
And there it is. How the hell do these folks think the money is going to come to maintain a consumer economy when no one has money for anything more than the basics of life? There aren’t enough rich people to buy all the toys that need to be bought to sustain the unsustainable.
Well then let’s petition the government to designate for us peasants a Bernanke all our own, with a dedicated fleet of Printing press bearing helicopters!
That did it for the Banksters, why not us, – give me a good fucking reason why not?
Seriously, the Capitalist system is on a respirator, but Obama and the Treasury are like Frist, Bush, and Bush43 were unto Schiaavo. The final outcome is secured, question that remains is when, and in how much will populist outrage affect the final date.
The private sector is not going to move untill the shennigans in health care get defined. In my opinion, with out the public option, the only way healt care costs can go is up. If the new health bill forces companies to provide health care, small business will have to hang back untill the costs get defined.
It was my understanding that 2/3 rds of the stimulus money was not spent yet and it would take a year to get shovel ready jobs going. Problem is the states are loosing revenue and do nto have contributing funds.
I susptect the bulk of stimulus expenditures will take place next spring jut in time for the elections.
Obama needs a good public rally regarding his lack of leadership to shake him and the Democrats a little
Actually, we are in a very sad shape. The government can provide money for WPA type jobs for several years (they wont do it), but when this life line ends, the ground will again drop under the workers. New smart energy industry may or may not be likely; there are several countries that saw those possibilities way a head of us and we will have to be competitive with them, all this while we have nothing at the start.
We need really new industries. I don’y know how to get to them. One thing for sure, if it ever happens it will takes at least 5-10 years.
Meanwhile, we should all join unions and have the best protection possible.
I’m hearing that the jobs to be filled don’t necessarily match up with the skillsets in the people who want work.
Is this true?
Is there a shortage of welders?
What other shortages exist?
What went wrong with our old industries? GM RCA
Oh the UNIONS killed them!
Maybe if we got rid of the unions we have more industry.