There's an old saying that goes, 'We make the road by walking.' Today, even in the face of historic opposition to change, there's no question that Barack Obama and the pro-worker members of Congress we elected last November are taking the steps towards real change with working families at their side.

Last November, we made history by electing Barack Obama. Over the past year, the change we've dreamt of for so long is becoming reality. Together, we saved the global economy from depression, made significant investments in green jobs, and have gotten further than at any other point in our history to winning affordable healthcare for all. Clearly, there is much more to be done. Because as we all know, real change is never achieved quickly--or without a fight.

But on this momentous anniversary of Barack's election, we're going on focus on the positive (as in, the glass is half-full instead of half-empty) and run down a laundry list of progress we're proud has been made over the past year:

• Make law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has been responsible for creating or saving 650,000 jobs;
• Sign into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act;
• Pass a budget that includes a historic commitment to health insurance reform, and work with Congress to ensure that comprehensive reform passes in 2009;
• Appoint cabinet secretaries that working families can count on, including Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius;
• Provide a pathway to legal status for young people who were brought to the U.S. as undocumented immigrant children through the DREAM Act;
• Pass a sweeping expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides healthcare coverage to an additional 4 million children of working families;
• Create a Middle Class Task Force and a Presidential Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and allow working families representatives like Anna Burger on it;
• Create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, to protect consumers from the unfair practices of our largest financial institutions.

"Along with the policy shifts we are witnessing, there is a change in culture as well," said SEIU President Andy Stern. "When Jordan Barab, the new Assistant Secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, took office, he replaced the conference room photos of OSHA managers with photos of workers who've been killed on the job. How's that for a change in attitude?"

Check out the video our healthcare team put together to celebrate this moment:

The Washington Post has published an excellent editorial piece on the Child Nutrition Act. In it, the newspaper's editorial board preaches the "wisdom of spending more money to provide healthier meals."

The board says that they're "encouraged that there's a growing movement to do something about" food that "isn't good" for children. As a "Washington Beltway" newspaper that's seen its fair share of movements and supposed movements, those aren't words that they throw around all-too-often.

The Child Nutrition Act, says the editorial, "is up for reauthorization by Congress next month," and President Obama "has signaled his interest by including an extra $1 billion in his 2010 budget proposal for school food improvements."

The board states that while there are "enormous financial pressures facing the nation," there "is also no denying that what children are eating today carries its own costs in the form of increased obesity, incidence of diabetes and earlier deaths."

You can read the full editorial here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/20/AR2009092001966_pf.html

As the Organizing for America Health Insurance Reform Bus Tour rolled through Des Moines, they were greeted by a welcome sight: hundreds of Iowans with "Thank You" signs waiting to greet those driving the bus for health insurance reform. With around 500 people in attendance, including members of SEIU Local 199, our activists proved their dedication by showing up to support the cause.

Watch the Health Insurance Reform NOW bus roll into Des Moines:

Yesterday, California Democrat Judy Chu won a special election in District 32 with almost 62% of the vote to become the newest member of Congress. "She's a dynamic leader and a woman of action, who stands up and fights for her beliefs, whether outside on a picket line with workers or inside the corridors of power," said Courtni Pugh, Executive Director of SEIU California State Council. SEIU members endorsed Chu in January and contributed their time and energy to her victory.

Even our President is happy about the win, expressing his enthusiasm for Chu's victory via Twitter: RT @BarackObama: Congratulations to CA Rep. Judy Chu district on becoming the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress.

President Obama demonstrated once again that he stands firmly with working families in supporting passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Here's what he said yesterday to the AFL-CIO:

I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem. To me, and to my administration, labor unions are a big part of the solution. We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests - because we cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement.

The truth is, the road ahead will not be easy. The economic crisis we face is vast and the challenges we confront are many; you know this because your members have already had to make sacrifices. But I have every confidence that if we are willing to do the difficult work that must be done, we will emerge from these trials stronger and more prosperous than we were before. And as we confront this crisis and work to provide health care to every American, rebuild our nation's infrastructure, move toward a clean energy economy, and pass the Employee Free Choice Act, I want you to know that you will always have a seat at the table.

Thank you for everything you do.

The President's statement was preceded by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis' commitment to enforce the Employee Free Choice Act and comes ahead of the Vice President's expected support of the bill in his address to the AFL-CIO tomorrow.

Take a look at other past remarks by President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on the need for the Employee Free Choice Act:

Barack Obama on the Employee Free Choice Act

Vice President Joe Biden: Employee Free Choice Act "This Year"

President Obama to the Washington Post on the Employee Free Choice Act

Change to Win Chair and SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger issued the following statement after attending President Obama's address to Congress this evening:

Tonight, I was reminded of why working men and women all around this country cast their vote last November for Barack Obama. President Obama demonstrated vision, courage and the bold leadership America needs as he confronts the broken healthcare system that has become a tremendous burden on working families and a constant threat to an already fragile economy.

As our nation faces the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, President Obama signaled that our government is ready to make the big reforms necessary to put working families back on the path of prosperity and the economy back on the road to recovery. It is clear that we cannot solve our nation's economic crisis without fixing our broken healthcare system, and our President laid out a framework to address the daunting healthcare challenges before us.

Too many working families are one healthcare crisis away from financial ruin - families like that of Paula Hall, a child care worker from Spokane, who--failing to qualify for state aid and unable to afford COBRA--lost her home to spiraling medical debt. Piecemeal reform won't work for Paula, and it won't work for America.

The working men and women of SEIU stand ready to work with the President, Democrats and Republicans, business, and workers from across the nation to find real solutions that achieve comprehensive healthcare reform this year. With 14,000 more Americans losing their health coverage every day, we've reached the death knell of the status quo. Now is the time for all of us to get to work and make the big reforms necessary to bring about real solutions and deliver affordable and accessible healthcare to every man, woman and child in America.

Update, 6:15 pm: President Obama asked Andy Stern to share his thoughts on the importance of fixing health care during the closing session of the summit. Video of their exchange is below.

The first-ever Fiscal Responsibility Summit is wrapping up right now at the White House. Advisors at the highest levels of the Obama administration hosted members of Congress as well as leaders from a wide range of organizations to discuss solutions to long-term fiscal challenges facing the nation.

President Obama and Vice President Biden opened the event with remarks that made one thing clear: solving the economic crisis means fixing our broken health care system.

The vice president said the recent struggles Americans have faced only serve to remind us of the urgency of our long-term goals:

We will not lose sight of the need to tackle unmet needs for health care reform, to deal with the energy policy that we need, and so many other challenges that are going to determine what the 21st century looks like.

The president echoed those sentiments, going so far as to identify "the rising cost of health care [as the] single most pressing fiscal challenge we face by far."

That theme will be repeated again and again during the breakout discussions; the White House has even devoted an entire session to the importance of health care reform for fixing our economy.

SEIU President Andy Stern and Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger are among the attendees at the event, representing the millions of SEIU members and activists leading the grassroots movement for health care across the country.

Andy Stern has posted updates from the summit on Twitter, and his latest tweet sums it all up nicely:

@SEIU_AndyStern: health care is a go!

President Obama again Wednesday affirmed his support for the Employee Free Choice Act, critical legislation that will make it easier for workers to bargain with their employers for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. This is the latest in a series of statements from the President and Vice President Biden supporting the legislation.

In an interview with regional papers at the White House, Obama said he would allow
Congress to move forward in considering the bill, stating,

"I don't buy the argument that providing workers with collective-bargaining rights somehow weaken the economy or worsens the business environment, if you've got workers who have decent pay and benefits, they're also customers for business."

"We're grateful for the support of the Administration in supporting this critical legislation that will improve the lives of millions of Americans by giving them a fair opportunity to bargain with employers for job security, better healthcare and higher wages." said SEIU National Political Director Jon Youngdahl. "As we seek to create or retain more than 3 million jobs as part of the President's economic recovery plan, we need to ensure that the jobs we're creating are good jobs--with quality health care and a living wage.

In addition to Obama's statements Wednesday, the Administration has been steadfast in its support for the legislation as part of the economic recovery plan.

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN SUPPORT FOR THE
EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

Obama said that providing workers with collective bargaining rights strengthens the economy. In an interview with 16 regional papers at the White House in February, President Obama said that "I don't buy the argument that providing workers with collective-bargaining rights somehow weakens the economy or worsens the business environment, if you've got workers who have decent pay and benefits, they're also customers for business." [Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/12/09]

In a February interview with regional newspapers, President Obama said he would not delay the Employee Free Choice Act. Per the Philadelphia Enquirer, President Obama said that "he would not urge a delay in consideration of the Employee Free Choice Act, legislation sought by organized labor that would make it easier for unions to win the right to represent workers. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/12/09]

President Obama strongly supports the Employee Free Choice Act. When "asked if Obama's support for the Employee Free Choice Act remained as strong as his public proclamations suggested on the campaign trail, transition spokesman Dan Pfeiffer responded, succinctly, "Yes." Huffington Post, 12/3/08]

President Obama asserts that you cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement. During the press conference for the Middle Class Working Family Taskforce, Obama said "I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem; to me it is part of the solution. We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent there interests because we know that you cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement. We know that strong vibrant growing unions can exist side-by-side with strong vibrant and growing businesses." [Middle Class Working Family Taskforce press conference, 1/30/09]

President Obama signs an executive order that will prevent federal contractors from
influencing the formation of unions. One of the first executive orders that President Obama signed in his administration was to "prevent taxpayer dollars from going to reimburse federal contractors who spend money trying to influence the formation of unions." [Middle Class Working Family Taskforce press conference, 1/30/09]

Vice President Biden said that the administration will be an ally of organized labor. During the press conference, he stated that the leaders "of organized labor have dedicated their lives to the thing that this task force is about, making the lives of working people better. I would argue that there would be no middle class were there not an organized labor movement that started 150 years ago and I am so proud that this administration with your leadership Mr. President will be allied in that effort." [Middle Class Working Family Taskforce press conference,
1/30/09]

The Taskforce will work to restore Labor's place with the Department of Labor. Vice President Biden said that one of the goals of the Middle Class Task Force is to restore "the balance in the workplace with the Department of Labor and restoring labor's place with the Department of Labor." [Middle Class Working Family Taskforce press conference,
1/30/09]

Vice President Biden said that "Over the last 100 years the middle class was built on the back of organized labor." [Associated Press Online, 1/30/09]

Biden also stated that without labor, "we wouldn't have the middle class we have now." In an interview with CNBC, Biden referred to labor saying that "Without their weight, heft and their insistence starting in the early 1900s we wouldn't have the middle class we have now, in my view...So I think labor getting a fair share of the pie is part of it." [Associated Press Online, 1/30/09]

President Obama says that Unions serve an important role in protecting the middle class. "Here is my basic principle, that wages and incomes have flatlined over the last decade...part of it has to do with the fact that workers have very little leverage and that larger and larger shares of our productivity go to the top and not to the middle or the bottom. I think unions serve an important role in that." [Washington Post, 1/15/09]

Obama does not agree with Bush Administration management of the department of Labor. "I think that the way the Bush Administration managed the Department of Labor, the NLRB and a host of other aspects of labor management relations put the thumb too heavily against unions. I want to lift that thumb, there are going to be steps that we can take other than the Employee Free Choice Act that will make a difference there. I think the basic principle of making it easier and fairer for workers who want to join a union, join a union, is important, and the basic outlines of the Employee Free Choice Act are ones that I agree with..." [Washington Post, 1/15/09]

TIMETABLE FOR THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

Vice President Biden expects the Employee Free Choice Act to be passed this year. When asked if the Employee Free Choice Act would not be passed until 2010, Biden responded, "Our expectation is this year, this calendar year, that we will move, and hopefully with some bipartisan support, to dealing with this issue." [Wall Street Journal, 1/30/09]

Although the White House has not set a timetable for the Employee Free Choice Act, both the President and Vice President strongly support the measure. "White House spokesman Bill Burton said: "The President and the Vice President are on the same page, as their collective answers, taken as a whole, reflect. The White House has not yet stated a specific timetable, and the Vice President's answer doesn't state one either. Both men believe that economic recovery is the first priority, and both support EFCA." [Wall Street Journal, 1/30/09]

Paul Krugman, a Nobel-prize laureate in Economics, professor at Princeton University, and a columnist for the New York Times has published an extraordinary piece in the latest edition of Rolling Stone magazine. In it, he writes an open letter to President Obama, giving his advice on some steps that he'd advise the new president to take in order to get our economy back on track.

One of the solutions Krugman advises in his letter is for President Obama to "pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it much harder for employers to intimidate workers who want to join a union." The economist believes that the legislation will "enable America to take a huge step toward recapturing the middle-class society we've lost."

Krugman begins by framing just how bad our economic situation is, calling it "worse than anyone imagined." Any type of growth over the last few years was "fueled by an explosion of private debt," leaving credit markets "in disarray," with "business and consumers...pulling back and the economy in free-fall."

One of the main problems, says Krugman, is that the "U.S. economy needs to add more than a million jobs a years just to keep up with a growing population," and as of today, we're "continuing to lose jobs at the rate of half a million a month."

Krugman looks, historically, at lessons from the FDR administration during its successful attempt at navigating our country through the Great Depression in the 1930's. A key take-away from FDR's success is that a president has to be "really bold in (his) job-creation plans." Otherwise, the economy turns to a vicious cycle: cutbacks on spending lead to a "shortfall in demand," which leads to a fall in employment, and continues to spiral.

FDR's biggest accomplishment, says Krugman is that the New Deal made America a middle-class society. He explains:

"Under FDR, America went through what labor historians call the Great Compression, a dramatic rise in wages for ordinary workers that greatly reduced income inequality. Before the Great Compression, America was a society of rich and poor; afterward it was a society in which most people, rightly, considered themselves middle class."

Krugman suggests that in order to understand the "Great Compression," we should look no further than the rise of organized labor. Unions, he says, "not only negotiated better wages for their own members, they also enhanced the bargaining power of workers throughout the economy."

Krugman is also quick to point out a common critique of labor that was wrong then, and continues to be wrong now:

"At the time, conservatives warned that wage gains would have disastrous economic effects -- that the rise of unions would cripple employment and economic growth. But in fact, the Great Compression was followed by the great postwar boom, which doubled American living standards over the course of a generation."

In the 1970's, however, the "Great Compression was reversed starting in the 1970s, as American workers once again lost much of their bargaining power. " Krugman suggests that we can create another Great Compression by enhancing worker's rights.

You can read the full letter here: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/25456948/what_obama_must_do/printt. There's plenty of good stuff that we've left out of this blog post that's worth checking out, for sure.

Just prior to taking office, President Barack Obama gave an in-depth interview with the editorial board of the Washington Post, in which he reiterated his strong support for America's workers and the Employee Free Choice Act.

President Obama said that one of the reasons wages have flatlined in the last decade is because American workers have had "very little leverage" and "that larger and larger shares of our productivity [have gone] to the top and not to the middle or the bottom." Here's what he said:

Here's my basic principal that wages and incomes have flatlined over the last decade. That part of that has to do with forces that are beyond everybody's control: globalization, technology and so forth. Part of it has to do with workers have very little leverage and that larger and larger shares of our productivity go to the top and not to the middle or the bottom. I think unions serve an important role in that.

The President knows that growing union membership will only help our economy recover. New research makes a solid case as to why the Employee Free Choice Act would be a recovery program that gets our economy back on track: the economic impact of the Employee Free Choice Act would be about four times as large as the recent federal minimum wage increase.

But business interests who say that having more workers in unions will somehow hurt the economy need a new argument. President Obama says that anyone advancing that angle "probably won't get far with me."

You know, now if the business community's argument against the Employee Free Choice Act is simply that it will make it easier for people to join unions and we think that is damaging to the economy then they probably won't get too far with me.

Fortunately for America's workers, that's exactly the argument being used by business interests opposed to Employee Free Choice.

We finally have a President who understands that unions work, and is ready, willing, and able to enact the change that America's workers need.

Here is the full transcript of the relevant segment of President Obama's interview with the Washington Post:

"We gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord"

More than 2 million people gathered in Washington yesterday to celebrate Barack Obama becoming America's 44th president, and to express their hope and anticipation for a new era.

Placing his hand on the Bible on which President Lincoln took his oath almost 150 years before, Barack Obama took the Oath of Office just after noon on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Tears of joy and hugs filled the crowd as President Obama delivered the final words of his oath. He then delivered his Inaugural Address to one of the largest crowds ever gathered on the National Mall--a sea of cheering, flag-waving Americans which stretched from the Capitol Building all the way to the Lincoln Memorial.

Obama delivered his Inaugural Address in a decisive and inspiring manner, calling for no less than the remaking of America and summoning generations, new and old, to return "to a new era of responsibility." He noted that Americans must make the hard choices previously avoided and that all citizens--regardless of race, color, creed or political persuasion--must play their part in the transformation.

In somber tones, Obama spoke of lost homes, jobs shed, businesses shuttered and healthcare that is too costly, and the need to not lose confidence and choose hope over fear. He acknowledged the true spirit of America, the hardworking people of this country:

"Our journey has never been one of short cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been...the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom."

In his inaugural address, President Obama dismissed critics who question the scale of his economic plan, renewing his call for a massive plan to stimulate economic and an eventual return to fiscal responsibility and accountability. "The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth, " he said. "....and those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government."

Obama's speech had a hard edge to it at times, as he spoke of "gathering clouds and raging storms," but throughout the address he artfully balanced the harsh realities we face as a nation against the promise of a better future. "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real," he said. "They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America -- they will be met."

>> Transcript of Obama's Inauguration Address from CNN here.

Watch the full address here:

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Flickr photo courtesy of swyngarden, under Creative Commons license.

Less than 24 hours before President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, SEIU President Andy Stern issued the following statement:

"Words seem inadequate when I try to capture what the inauguration of Barack Obama means to working people. How can you describe what it feels like to a janitor or healthcare or childcare worker who has felt so powerless for so long to now feel so powerful.

"Jean Berg is a single mother in Ft. Myers, Florida. She works in a nursing home but has no health coverage. She hasn't been to a doctor in seven years. She's never voted in political elections, but this fall Jean put in 12-hour days talking to voters six days a week to help elect Barack Obama.

"The significance of this inauguration is the pride in Jean's heart, the tears in all our eyes, after so many years of feeling 'no we can't' to knowing now that yes, workers can.

"This inauguration day is for Jean and the millions of working men and women who have finally found hope, who once again believe in change and are finally ready for action in Washington.

"With Barack Obama as our nation's leader, we will build an America where the dreams and hopes we have for our families can come true."

Statement by SEIU President Andy Stern on Inauguration of President Barack Obama

Washington, D.C.--Less than 24 hours before President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern issued the following statement:

"Words seem inadequate when I try to capture what the inauguration of Barack Obama means to working people. How can you describe what it feels like to a janitor or healthcare or childcare worker who has felt so powerless for so long to now feel so powerful.

"Jean Berg is a single mother in Ft. Myers, Florida. She works in a nursing home but has no health coverage. She hasn't been to a doctor in seven years. She's never voted in political elections, but this fall Jean put in 12-hour days talking to voters six days a week to help elect Barack Obama.

"The significance of this inauguration is the pride in Jean's heart, the tears in all our eyes, after so many years of feeling 'no we can't' to knowing now that yes, workers can.

"This inauguration day is for Jean and the millions of working men and women who have finally found hope, who once again believe in change and are finally ready for action in Washington.

"With Barack Obama as our nation's leader, we will build an America where the dreams and hopes we have for our families can come true."

SEIU is hosting the Change That Works open art exhibit at its International headquarters in Washington, DC from January 19 through January 22. The works of art to be displayed were commissioned by acclaimed street artist Shepard Fairey, who created the iconic Obama "HOPE" image.

The exhibit shines a spotlight on artists across the country who use their voices to amplify and motivate the grass roots movement for social justice and political action--many of whom were the winners and finalists of MANIFEST HOPE's previous contest during the Democratic National Convention that helped spread the word about Barack Obama and the inspirational themes of his candidacy. (You can view artwork of the Denver contest finalists--previewed below--at MoveOn.org)

To celebrate the unveiling of the Change That Works art exhibit, SEIU will host a special reception in the exhibit space at 1800 Mass Ave from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Monday, January 19th . This reception is open to all SEIU staff, leaders and community political partners (RSVP to seiu-change@seiu.org if you'd like to attend).

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On a sidenote: A limited-edition print designed by Shepard Fairey in honor of President-elect Obama's Inauguration is now available for purchase on the Presidential Inaugural Committee's website for $100.00. A run of only 10,000 numbered prints have been made of this special illustration commemorating the Inaugural occasion. Fairey's new design can be viewed and purchased by visiting the PIC online store here.

On this weekend's edition of MSNBC's Meet the Press, former Rep. David Bonior, a member of President-elect Barack Obama's economic transition team, talked about ways the next administration can help get the economy back on track. One proposal supported by President-elect Obama and 60 percent of the public is the Employee Free Choice Act, which will help employees bridge the gap of wage inequality in the country today.

Watch the video clip:

The New York Times recently made a similar point in its endorsement of the "swift passage" of the Employee Free Choice Act:

The measure is vital legislation and should not be postponed. By giving employees a bigger say in compensation issues, unions also help to establish corporate norms, the absence of which has contributed to unjustifiable disparities between executive pay and rank-and-file pay. There is a strong argument that the slack labor market of a recession actually makes unions all the more important.

Bonior echoed the same sentiment in a recent letter to incoming Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke:

The time is ripe for a new Wal-Mart with an incoming President who has pledged to bring change to this country, ensure a fairer economic system for workers and business alike, reform health care, and restart our economic engine so that it works for all Americans. Here's to a New Year, a new Wal-Mart, and a new resolve for being part of the positive change that's coming.

(Transcript of segment below: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28605356/page/3/)

REP. BONIOR: Well, from my perspective we've got to get a hold of this inequality we have in this country today on, on wages and income, and this Bush tax cut piece is a, is a big part of that. The top--over the last 20 years, the top 10 percent took 90 percent of the income gains in this--in the country. And the top 1 percent took roughly 60 percent. And the top 1/10th of 1 percent took 35 percent of that. I mean, it's skewed the wrong way. And what we need to do is focus in on not only monetary policy and fiscal policy, as we have talked this morning, but we've also got to talk about where we want to end up.

MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.

REP. BONIOR: And the way we end up with helping actually people is to give them the chance to bargain collectively at the table. With 7 percent unionization in this country, you're not going to get the dispersion that you need. We were successful in this country--after the second World War, the three most profitable decades for working people. Shared prosperity occurred after the second World War because unionization was at 35 percent. The Employee Free Choice Act is an important piece of legislation that President-elect Obama and Biden support, the Congress supports, 60 percent of the American people support, and that will help share in the benefits and the bounties of the country.

Last Friday, President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of Labor, Rep. Hilda Solis, appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to confirm her appointment.

We've compiled a short round-up of the media coverage surrounding Secretary-designate Solis' confirmation hearings. From Washington-insider publications like the National Journal, to local papers like the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the consensus is clear: Hilda Solis appears to be headed towards confirmation, and her eagerness to begin working on behalf of all the working people in our great nation has earned her bipartisan support.

Economists were already braced for bad news in this morning's December 2008 employment report from the Department of Labor, but the numbers released were even worse than expected:

• The economy lost 524,000 jobs in December.
• The number of jobs lost in October and November was revised upward by 150,000 jobs--November's job losses, previously reported as a 533,000 loss, were revised to show a cut of 584,000. October's losses were revised to 423,000 from a decline of 320,000.
• From September through December nearly 2 million jobs were lost (1.934 million)
• The unemployment rate is 7.2 percent, the highest level since January 1993.
• An alternative measure of unemployment, which includes people who want to work but are discouraged from looking for work, and people who are working part-time but want to work full-time, is at 13.5 percent.  (so, more than one in eight people are either unemployed or underemployed).
  

There were job losses in every single month in 2008, with December's job loss numbers bringing the yearly total to a whopping 2.6 million. That's the biggest annual loss since the World War II era, when the nation experienced a 2.75 million drop in 1945.

The largest number of job losses in December was in services-providing businesses, which shed 273,000 jobs. The dismal December 2008 job losses picture spans across every sector, with 149,000 jobs lost in manufacturing, 101,000 in construction, and 113,000 in professional and business services. The retail sector shed 67,000 jobs. The few areas of growth were in education and health care, which added 45,000 jobs in December, and government, which added 7,000 jobs.

More than 1.1 million Americans are out of work, and expectations now are that the unemployment rate will reach 9 percent or more. Compounding an already-bleak situation for these millions of unemployed Americans is that fewer than half currently receive unemployment benefits, either because they work part time or because outdated regulations don't define them as having been working recently.

In response the severity of the unemployment situation facing so many Americans, President-elect Barack Obama has is advocating for a major expansion of government-assisted health care insurance and unemployment benefits. The WSJ reported on Wednesday that Obama plans to offer states $7 billion as incentive to permanently change their unemployment-insurance laws to cover part-time workers. In his speech yesterday at George Mason University, Mr. Obama said that his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan would "immediately jump-start job creation and long-term growth."

SEIU's two million members couldn't agree more with the urgency reinforced Obama in his address that Congress must act now to address this crisis and relieve the pain for working families before a bad situation becomes dramatically worse. "If Congress needed just three weeks to pass a Wall Street bailout, then we should be able to count on our leaders to pass Main Street relief with as much urgency," said SEIU President Andy Stern.

A new state-by-state effort to ensure passage of the economic recovery package was launched by SEIU this week. More details about the Change That Works campaign efforts here.

President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of Labor, Rep. Hilda Solis, will appear before a Senate committee this morning to confirm her appointment.

We'll be livestreaming her confirmation hearing here on SEIU.org. You can watch it here starting at 9:30am. (To start watching, click on "Windows Media Player" or "Real Player" next to the third orange CSPAN-3 logo.)

Few people are better suited to be America's advocate for working people than Rep. Hilda Solis, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Secretary of Labor. The daughter of immigrant union members, Rep. Solis has spent her life fighting to make the American Dream available to all.

From her outspoken support of healthcare for all and a livable minimum wage, to her belief that employees need free choice at work, Rep. Solis understands the need for a bold new agenda for America's workers.

For Rep. Solis, serving as Secretary of Labor will not just be a job, but the culmination of a lifetime of action standing up for working people.

In a thoughtful article, the Wall Street Journal writes, "The SEIU, whose ranks include nurses and other health-care workers along with workers ranging from janitors to security officers, supports Mr. Obama's health-care plan and wants states and local governments to receive financial relief in a recovery package. Also high on the SEIU's list is the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for unions to organize workers by gathering signatures in favor of certification rather than via lengthy secret balloting."

Read the full article.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEIU President Andy Stern issued the following statement following President-elect Obama's speech on the economy at George Mason University:

"People keep trying to draw comparisons, but the truth is that this moment is like no other in history.

"For many, times have never been so tough. A failing economy and a broken healthcare system have put the squeeze on millions of families. Yet, people remain hopeful - excited about what could be.

"Yesterday, SEIU announced a huge 35-state effort to help Main Street by ensuring Change that Works through passage of an economic recovery package, passing comprehensive health care reform and ensuring workers have freedom to choose a voice at work. Our two million members agree with the urgency reinforced this morning by President-elect Obama that Congress must act now to address this crisis and relieve the pain for working families before a bad situation becomes dramatically worse.

"This is about saving jobs in cash-strapped states where the crucial services our families are counting on are being cut, such as Massachusetts, where one-quarter of caseworkers who help the mentally ill are being laid off. This is about getting people back to work by creating millions of new jobs where workers' voices are respected and where they earn wages and benefits that support a family. This is about investing in a stronger future by fixing our health care system so that keeping our families healthy poses no threat to our economic security and prosperity.

"If Congress needed just three weeks to pass a Wall Street bailout, then we should be able to count on our leaders to pass Main Street relief with as much urgency. Now is the time to make that change that works by getting our economy back on track and building a country where the dreams we have for our families and our children can come true."