Labor Day Message from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQVPRNXERpQ

Happy Labor Day,

This Labor Day, please join me in taking a little time
to recognize the value of work and all who do it.

It's a time to honor the transit workers who get us
where we need to go every day. The teachers who will
spend their Labor Day getting classrooms ready for our
children. The firefighters and caregivers whose work is
so much more than a job. The engineers, construction
workers, manufacturing workers, mathematicians and
scientists who are building America now and for the
future. The nurses, doctors and EMTs who keep us
healthy.

It's also a time to honor the millions of people who
want to work but are unable to find jobs-working people
didn't cause the economic crisis, but they certainly
have paid a heavy price for it.

Today, jobless people have become all but invisible to
politicians and much of the public. As activists, it's
our job to change that.

So this Labor Day season, I hope you will commit to
being even more active than you've been in the past,
and to help lead a massive America Wants to Work
campaign to demand that all our elected leaders focus
their efforts on putting America back to work.

Sign the America Wants to Work pledge to help lead the
movement for good jobs.

Working men and women have been suffering through a
dire jobs crisis. But too many politicians have engaged
in extreme partisan brinkmanship and opportunistic
over-reaching. Their goal: to transfer even more wealth
and power from low-income and middle-class Americans to
the CEOs who bankroll elections and offshore jobs.

That's why we're calling on Congress and the White
House for leadership on big, bold and timely ideas to
put America back to work and rebuild the U.S. economy.

Some will say America can't afford to invest big to
create jobs. You and I know we can't afford not to.

Some say there's nothing we can do to turn the economy
around-we just have to wait it out. I say anyone who
believes that either lacks imagination and a knowledge
of history or is just plain afraid of hard work.

There's plenty our leaders can do-right now. Yes, it
will take courage and that's something, quite frankly,
a lot of politicians seem to lack when we need it most.
So you and I will have to be their backbone, their
conscience.

Click now to pledge to help lead the America Wants to
Work campaign for good jobs.

http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2739

I'm proposing a six-point agenda to create good jobs
that will put millions of people back to work and
restore our communities, our states and the country.

Can you help? America needs you.

Here's our Six-Point Agenda for Good Jobs:

    Rebuild America's schools, roads, ports, airways
    and energy systems.

    Revive U.S. manufacturing and stop exporting good
    jobs overseas.

    Put people to work in communities doing work that
    needs to be done by directly creating millions of
    jobs.

    Help state and local governments avoid more layoffs
    and service cuts by increasing federal Medicaid
    funding during periods of high unemployment. Ensure
    that we have our priorities straight so we can fund
    essential federal government functions-not slash
    them to the bone.

    Help fill the massive shortfall of consumer demand
    by extending unemployment benefits and keeping
    homeowners in their homes.

    Reform Wall Street so it helps Main Street create
    jobs by encouraging lending to small businesses,
    enacting a financial speculation tax and ending
    Wall Street cheating and fraud.

Please sign the America Wants to Work pledge to be more
active than you've ever been before to help create
jobs. Just click on this link.

Thank you-and happy Labor Day to you and your working
family.

Richard L. Trumka
President, AFL-CIO

P.S. Have you told the world yet which workers you ?
this Labor Day? If not, do it now at
www.aflcio.org/iheart

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