SEIU's Anna Burger on the GOP Vote against Obama's Stimulus

"Last week, Americans across the country stood on the National Mall in the freezing cold to support a new president who would do whatever it takes to help the millions of people losing their jobs, including reaching out to House Republicans this week in an unprecedented way. Unfortunately, House Republicans won't return the favor," wrote SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger on The Hill's Congress Blog today.

"Many in the House Republican leadership talked a big game about hearing the message of change Americans so clearly delivered in November, but when it came time to vote they showed they care more about playing the old game of obstructionist opponents than fixing out economy. Too many Americans have lost their homes, their health care and their hope in the American Dream. They want Congress to get going on fiscal solutions and SEIU's 2 million members join them in calling on the Senate to show some backbone, work in a bipartisan fashion and pass a balanced proposal that includes tax relief for working people and investments in jobs, education, healthcare, roads and bridges," said Burger.

* Read Anna Burger's entire response to The Hill's "Big Question" of the day.

More responses from Dean Baker, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Brad Woodhouse and many others here.

Ad Buy Is First Of 2010 Campaign

Las Vegas - SEIU announced today that it has begun a new, aggressive television ad campaign in support of Senator Harry Reid's work on behalf of Nevada's working families. He has worked to bring Republicans and Democrats together to fix the economic mess that President Bush and his Wall Street cronies left working families as they rode into the sunset with billions in taxpayer-financed bonuses. Earlier this week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee went up with its first attack ad for Senator Reid's work to build a bipartisan recovery package that not only addresses the crisis and relieves the pain, but also lays the groundwork for a stronger and fairer future.

"The extreme right wing of the Republican leadership seem so stuck in the divisive politics of the past that they didn't get the memo of change American voters delivered in 2008," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger. "They talk a big game about working together to fix our economy but they cannot hide their true obstructionist ways. Their first ad of the season is an attack ad on an economic recovery bill that every working family wants, every economist agrees we need and many of their own Republican Senators support."

The statewide cable ad, titled "Hard Work," highlights a few of the many issues Senator Reid has been spearheading on behalf of Nevada's families, including tax cuts, investments in alternative energy, an economic recovery package that works for every American and rebuilding our infrastructure.

"If Republicans keep this up, working families will vote in even more Democratic Senators in 2010 to ensure lobbyists and corporate insiders cannot stand in the way of rebuilding the American Dream," said Burger.

"Hard Work," produced by The New Media Firm, can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CiruWYUcjM.

The transcript follows:

VO: The economy is in trouble.

But our Senator, Harry Reid has been working with President Obama to put together an economic recovery package that will create jobs by investing in energy and transportation projects.

And Harry Reid is taking the lead to cut taxes for struggling middle class families.

Call Senator Reid and thank him for working to make sure Nevada gets our fair share - to get the economy moving again.

SEIU is responsible for the content of this advertising.

For anyone who needed more evidence of how urgently we need Congress to pass an economic recovery plan that creates jobs and puts the middle class first, you need to look no further than today's overwhelming job loss numbers.

The success of the American worker is key to the success of the American economy - and few understand that better than President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Secretary of Labor, champion of working families Representative Hilda Solis. Solis stood before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee earlier today, telling lawmakers that if confirmed, she will work to expand job training programs, secure employee pension plans, and enforce workplace safety, health and fair pay laws. "We need to restore the respect and integrity of those individuals in the workplace," Solis said, describing how she would lead a department that Obama says he wants to "once again stand up for working families."

Solis has proven her steadfast commitment to putting workers first by supporting fair wages, enforcing wage protections, recognizing the importance of unions, and voicing her support for the Employee Free Choice Act. SEIU President Andy Stern issued a statement supporting the confirmation of Solis as U.S. Secretary of Labor, saying, "Her confirmation will give working families confidence that we can rebuild our country so hard work is rewarded with fair pay, strong benefits and a secure retirement."

SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina also voiced his confidence in the qualifications of Rep. Solis to re-establish the U.S. Labor Department's priorities of justice, fairness, and equal opportunity for all workers:

"Rep. Solis has also become a champion for the rights of immigrant workers. As a daughter of immigrants, Rep. Solis exemplifies the American Dream and the tremendous contributions that immigrants have made and will continue to make to our country. Rep. Solis knows that fixing our broken immigration system and restoring the rule of law is the only way to guarantee civil rights and basic fairness for all workers--no matter where they come from.

"Today, as she stands at the threshold of history, ready to serve her country as the first Latina Secretary of Labor, we are reminded that Solis' story is truly the American story. Her values--hard work, commitment to economic fairness, and willingness to fight for justice--are America's values."

Restoring the American labor movement is an essential component of restoring the health of the American middle class, and our nation's workers need a Secretary of Labor who understands the everyday struggles Americans are facing in this economic climate. Hilda Solis is the right person for the job and will serve with distinction as she helps to strengthen America's greatest asset, its labor force.

There is a great editorial in The New York Times today on unions and the Obama Administration's commitment to labor--giving basically a full-throated endorsement of the Employee Free Choice Act and why it is such an important part of an economic recovery program.

Employee Free Choice legislation:

"The measure is vital legislation and should not be postponed. Even modest increases in the share of the unionized labor force push wages upward, because nonunion workplaces must keep up with unionized ones that collectively bargain for increases. 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."

"The argument against unions -- that they unduly burden employers with unreasonable demands -- is one that corporate America makes in good times and bad, so the recession by itself is not an excuse to avoid pushing the bill next year. The real issue is whether enhanced unionizing would worsen the recession, and there is no evidence that it would...Without a united front, workers will have even less bargaining power in the recession than they had during the growth years of this decade, when they largely failed to get raises even as productivity and profits soared."

"If Mr. Obama's campaign promises are to be kept, that mindset cannot prevail again. Mr. Obama's creation of a task force on middle-class issues, to be led by Vice President-elect Joseph Biden and including Ms. Solis and other high-ranking officials, is an encouraging sign that labor issues will not be given short shrift."

The U.S. Department of Labor announced at 8:30 a.m. today that another 533,000 jobs were lost in November; catapulting the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent--and bringing the grand total number of jobs lost this year to a whopping 1.7 million.

Further adding to these depressing stats: many of the jobs lost aren't coming back. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Among the unemployed, the number of persons who lost their job and did not expect to be recalled to work increased by 298,000 to 4.7 million in November. Over the past 12 months, the size of this group has increased by 2.0 million.

These numbers register as the largest number of job reductions seen in 34 years, since a whopping 602,000 positions were slashed in December 1974, when the country was in a severe recession.

The loss of 533,000 payroll jobs was much deeper than the 320,000 figure that economists were forecasting. And just think: only a couple of months ago, Bush and John McCain were saying the fundamentals of this economy were strong.

President-elect Barack Obama has called for a massive economic recovery bill to generate 2.5 million jobs over his first two years in office, reiterating the nation's need for this urgent plan of action in a statement issued this morning:

"The 533,000 jobs lost last month, the worst job loss in 34 years, is more than a dramatic reflection of the growing economic crisis we face. Each of those lost jobs represents a personal crisis for a family somewhere in America. Our economy has already lost nearly 2 million jobs during this recession, which is why we need an Economic Recovery Plan that will save or create at least 2.5 million more jobs over two years while we act decisively to maintain the flows of credit on which so many American families and American businesses depend.

"There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and it's likely to get worse before it gets better. But now is the time to respond with urgent resolve to put people back to work and get our economy moving again. At the same time, this painful crisis also provides us with an opportunity to transform our economy to improve the lives of ordinary people by rebuilding roads and modernizing schools for our children, investing in clean energy solutions to break our dependence on imported oil, and making an early down payment on the long-term reforms that will grow and strengthen our economy for all Americans for years to come."

This November jobs report did include one slightly positive statistic for workers. From AP:

"Workers with jobs saw modest wage gains. Average hourly earnings rose to $18.30 in November, a 0.4 percent increase from the previous month. Over the year, wages have grown 3.7 percent."

This rise in unemployment means families will undoubtedly be facing holiday hard times. Here at SEIU, we are calling on Congress to support a new economic model that addresses the real concerns of America's working families. We must act now to jump-start job creation, fix our national healthcare system and rebuild our economy and the middle class.