Thanks to the working Americans who funded the banks' bailouts, banking giants and CEOs were able to get up, brush themselves off, and walk away from the financial crisis relatively unscathed. It is in no way acceptable, however, that their version of 'jumping back into the saddle' means continuing to pay out big figure bonuses to the architects of our economic collapse. Recent data from eFinancialCareers.com shows that financial professionals still think that the middle class should still be taking it on the chin to pad their pockets:

According to the survey, 83 percent of Wall Street professionals expect to receive bonuses this year, and one-third expect to receive even bigger bonuses than they did in 2008.

"You can't change 200 years of history overnight," said John Benson, founder and CEO of eFinancialCareers.com. "...Changing the pay structure is going to be an iterative process, because there are always unintended consequences to every change."

Although just over half of the 1,074 financial services professionals who participated in the survey noted their firms have revised bonus policies, most respondents said the attitudes towards the extreme risk taking that got us here in the first place hasn't changed. After all, why should bankers do things any differently when there is nothing to discourage their behavior? The typical worker has seen their 401k go down 24.3 percent, but Wall Street bonuses remain bigger than ever. The phrase "undeserved entitlement" comes to mind, to say the least.

It's time to end the notion of "too big to fail."

Update: Here's the full video from Obama's speech in Cincinatti yesterday, where he praised the accomplishments of unions and reaffirmed support for Employee Free Choice.

As we take the day off from work, attend healthcare send-off rallies or parades, and spend time with family and friends this Labor Day weekend, many of us will be thinking about the state of working America.

Ensuring that American workers are treated with dignity and respect and that a lifetime of hard work leads to a comfortable retirement is something our President values very highly. In his prepared 2009 Labor Day message, Obama explains his proposal to help us get there:

This afternoon, Obama spoke at the AFL-CIO's annual Labor Day picnic in Cincinnati, Ohio. Among his comments was unmitigated support for unions.

"So let us never forget: much of what we take for granted--the 40-hour work week, the minimum wage, health insurance, paid leave, pensions, Social Security, Medicare--they all bear the union label. It was the American worker--union men and women--who returned from World War II to make our economy the envy of the world. It was labor that helped build the largest middle class in history. So even if you're not a union member, every American owes something to America's labor movement."

AFL-CIO live tweeted the President's comments from the picnic, one of which was this: "Labor is not the problem. Labor is the solution. When Labor is strong, America is strong!"

We couldn't agree more. Visit SEIU's Labor Day page for labor union facts and lots of action opportunities here: http://www.seiu.org/a/a/labor-day-2009.php

Although many right-wingers will tell you that the current health care system works fine, the majority of Americans are happy with the plan they already have, and only a small number of uninsured people would benefit from reform....we know that's just not true.

With health spending projected to double if we don't enact real reform, middle and lower income families are at high risk of losing their health coverage--or facing an impending future of stagnant incomes.

Premiums are eating up middle-class incomes: Over the past decade, insurance premiums have been rising in cost at a much greater rate than income in the U.S...and not by a small amount. A recent report by the non-profit, non-partisan Commonwealth Fund found that premiums have been ballooned so much that employer-sponsored health coverage for families has increased by 119 percent between 1999 and 2008.

What's even scarier: The report determined that rates could jump by 94 percent in the coming decade if cost growth continues on its current course--to $23,842 per family.

According to the report's state-by-state analysis, the five-year increase (2003 to 2008) in employer-based premiums for family coverage averaged 33 percent. In 2008, total premiums equaled or exceeded 18 percent of the average household income for the under-65 population in 18 states. The states with the highest premium costs for families in 2008--just over $13,500--included Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Hampshire.

The report also estimates what would happen if payment and health system reforms were implemented--including the choice of a public plan option--and able to slow cost increases by 1 to 1.5 percent per year. The goal of reducing spending growth by 1.5% for the next 10 years, which could lead to more than $3,700 in premium savings compared to current trends, was first pledged by President Obama in coordination with SEIU, AHIP, AMA, AHA, PhRMA, and AdvaMed in early May.

Download the Commonwealth Fund's new report on health insurance.

Key Glasgow activist, Monica Garten, got us set up outside the local Pamida off of route 2 for senior discount day. Monica has been a great activist throughout our campaign, and even though she has great insurance through her husband's union, she is gung-ho on fighting to make sure that everyone in her community, and in the nation, has access to quality and affordable healthcare like she does.

Paul Begala has an incredibly powerful and persuasive op-ed in Politico today making the case for the Employee Free Choice Act. After introducing nightmare hypothetical scenarios of workers getting fired for trying to organize, Begala pulls back the curtain and reveals the stories are about real workers who were fighting for better jobs.

All of these stories are absolutely true. The stories of Trish Miechur, the CNA, and Corey Kresse, the metalworker, are replicated in boardrooms and factories across America. The story of Ken Lewis, Bank of America's CEO? Well, that's a familiar one, too. So here's the question: Why are their experiences so different? Whom do we want our economic policies to benefit?

For eight years under the GOP, economic policy gave CEOs such as Ken Lewis the gold mine, while giving hardworking, middle-class Americans such as Trish and Corey the shaft. President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress were elected to change that, and protecting employees from corporate abuses is part of the change we need. That's what the Employee Free Choice Act will do.

Corporate lobbyists say the phrase "Employee Free Choice Act" as though it were a curse. But for Trish and Corey, it's a blessing. The point of the Employee Free Choice Act is to say that we've had enough of an economy that works for Ken Lewis -- and Bernie Madoff, for that matter. We want an economy that works for Trish Miechur and Corey Kresse.

The Employee Free Choice Act gives workers an opportunity to bargain with their employers for better job security, wages and health care at a time of astounding corporate greed. The legislation has three main parts: 1) It says that when a majority of workers want to form a union, a real path is provided for them to do so -- a path chosen by workers, not corporate special interests; 2) it penalizes employers who try to fire or harass workers for attempting to form a union; and 3) it says that once workers have voted for a union, employers have to come to agreement with workers on a contract. Simple stuff, right?

So why are corporate interests squealing like a pig stuck under a gate? Maybe because they're the only ones who prospered under the Bush-Lewis-Madoff policies.

As of now, it's unclear when the Employee Free Choice Act will be given a vote in Congress. Recent press stories, based largely around anonymous comments from Democratic aides, has suggested that it is unlikely the bill will get a vote any time soon--and especially not prior to the completion of healthcare reform.

But legislative delays don't diminish the moral and economic imperative for sweeping labor reform and as a result, we must continue to call on Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act with majority sign-up. As Begala notes, this popular piece of legislation will get America's economy moving again, so we have no time to lose.

With a future body count guaranteed to make it a horror film classic, the new California state budget approved by legislators on Friday puts an end to the endless "debate" that's been causing debilitating migraines even in those who don't suffer them.

But the pain is far from over. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his band of loyal lawmakers proved they're no 'girlie-men' with the budget cuts by taking healthcare from the sick and frail and every kind of care from the elderly; by closing schools so kids have nowhere to learn, and after-school programs so they have nowhere else to go. They closed the deficit by privatizing public services and throwing public servants under the bus, while taking money with impudence from those who remain. And if you thought these outcomes were shocking, here's the most shocking thing of all: CA lawmakers managed all of this without taxing corporations one single additional dime.

And no doubt the heads of those corporations will be spending this glorious, victorious weekend with Governor Arnold in his hot tub, smoking their cigars.

The difference
Rapid action by members of SEIU Local 1021, Local 1000 and all the California locals, together with the communities they serve, prevented the outcome of the budget deal from being much worse. "While we don't like the outcome [of this budget], had we not gotten involved it would have been much worse," said SEIU executive vice president Eliseo Medina.

Working closely in collaboration with communities and allies, scores of public events were held all over the state that put a human face on the cuts to home care, health care, CalWORKS, schools, and other public services. All together, SEIU members made 40,000 calls to the Governor and legislators, took part in 400-plus lobby days and sent 100,000 petitions and postcards. The most dramatic difference these efforts made is that new revenues are finally on the table and, against the odds, even made it into the Conference Committee budget. And more significantly, SEIU members, CA activists and allies helped scale back (and lessen in severity) the Governor's worst cuts:

• Home care: In-home Supportive Services (IHSS) will be cut by 20 percent instead of 90 percent.
  
• CalWORKS will be cut 40 percent instead of eliminated entirely.
  
• Healthy Families: The Governor wanted to eliminate the program entirely - instead, it was cut by 50 percent.
  
• Education: Despite deep cuts to education, Proposition 98 was not suspended and legislative safeguards on school outsourcing were protected.
  
• State workers: Workers' pensions and health care were protected, and a fourth furlough day has not been issued like Governor Schwarzenegger threatened.

As California confronts severe budget difficulties in coming months, the war of words, lobby days and public actions are far from over. Middle-class families will continue to challenge state leaders to provide a common sense, balanced approach--even when it requires that our leaders have the courage to stand up to powerful corporate interests. More news and reports on the CA budget can be found from Rough & Tumble and California Budget Project.

Thanks to SEIU Local 1021 for this budget update.

It's a crisis. And it's not going to get better: between 1998 and 2008, the average annual family premium increased by 119 percent. The cost of insurance, on average, is $5,000 for a single plan and $13,000 for a family plan. Even for people whose income is at 300% of the federal poverty level (about $32,500 for a single person without children, or $66,000 for a couple with two children) that's between 15 and 20 percent of total income.

In our current economic downturn, when working families are already struggling to afford car payments, gas, and groceries, the outrageous cost of healthcare has become an unbearable burden. Our system is failing, and we need rescue now.

RSVP to our Emergency Drive Here

That's why we're hitting the road for 11 days in an ambulance to save Montana's middle class with our Emergency Drive. We'll be touring 24 towns, including rural areas, to connect with local Montanans about two important issues: affordable heath care and labor law reform.

In recent months, a whole slew of research has emerged showing why we need to restore workers' freedom to form unions and bargain through the Employee Free Choice Act.

Today, a new UC Berkeley report was released advance, granting further proof that the "union advantage" is substantial. The report, authored by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education and the Labor Project for Working Families, found that companies with more unionized workers are more likely to pay for family health insurance premiums, embrace paid leave, and allow the use of personal leave to care for a sick child.

The economic crisis our nation is experiencing has been particularly devastating for workers, giving the need to pass legislation that will help ease the burden on working families a renewed urgency. Our economy is going full-throttle down a devastating path that's shrinking the middle class--but unions can help. Why? It's simple - unions raise wages and benefits for all workers, reduce worker turnover, protect our retirement, and lift up the economy by increasing the purchasing power of hard-working Americans.

"Today's report underscores that, at a time when many greedy corporations are cruelly cutting wages, healthcare and retirement security, unionized workplaces continue to promote family-friendly policies that build a strong middle-class," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger.

A few of the report's key findings:

Research has shown that 60 million American workers would join a union tomorrow if they could--and this report is further evidence of the many benefits unionized workers receive in the workplace compared to their nonunion counterparts. Unions have been responsible for the creation of the middle class, and pioneered such benefits as health care, pensions, even the weekend. But in the last several decades, forming a union in the workplace has become increasingly difficult, in large part because of the ineffectiveness of current labor law to protect and enforce workers' rights in the election process.

Study authors Jenifer MacGillvary of the Labor Center at the University of California-Berkeley and Netsy Firestein of the Labor Project for Working Families also note union members are more likely to have access to resources like child care referrals, education assistance, vacation days and wellness programs. "As a mother, I know that millions of women struggle to raise a healthy, happy family while their employers refuse to allow them to care for a sick child, or to provide affordable healthcare," said Anna Burger. "Passing the Employee Free Choice Act, critical legislation that would allow workers to bargain with their employers for better wages and benefits, would have ripple effects across the economy."

No matter what else we do to turn around America's economy and rebuild the middle class, we will not have broadly shared prosperity until we restore workers' free choice to bargain with their companies for a better life--without corporate intimidation. Read the full report: "Family-Friendly Workplaces: Do Unions Make a Difference?"

Throughout the middle part of the 20th century--when more than a third of working Americans belonged to a union--American workers generated economic growth with increased productivity and were rewarded with higher wages. But this link between greater productivity and higher wages has broken down.

In the past 50+ years that have passed since America's middle class was expanding and the economy was soaring, former labor secretaries Robert Reich (1993 - 1997) and Ray Marshall (1977 - 1981) have seen an economy weakened by a combination of personal greed, individual irresponsibility and unsustainable financial conditions. In Sunday's Chicago Tribune, Reich and Marshall explain why the Employee Free Choice Act is critical to getting our economy back on track.

While the debate surrounding the Employee Free Choice Act continues to grow, the underlying principles behind the measure shouldn't be swept under the rug or marginalized for political convenience. We have a president and secretary of labor who both support making it easier for workers to join unions. We shouldn't squander this opportunity for change.

Our country's history, Reich and Marshall say, has shown that unions are necessary to give the middle class the bargaining power it needs for better wages and benefits and the opportunity to fulfill the elusive American dream.

The years following World War II saw the largest increase in union membership in U.S. history, and along with it came increased productivity and shared prosperity. We can repeat this, but we must reform our obsolete labor laws so workers can join unions without the roadblocks so many face.

Putting more money in workers' pockets would provide a needed boost for the long-term growth of U.S. economy by giving consumers the purchasing power they need to buy more of the goods and services our economy produces. Especially, say the former labor secretaries, because "a vital component of our nation's recovery is making sure that we don't return to a bubble-and-bust economy, where the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and the middle class gets squeezed."

Today, employers are "more than twice as likely as they were in the 1990s to use 10 or more tactics...to thwart workers' organizing efforts." A very important feature of the Employee Free Choice Act, Reich and Marshall remind us, toughens penalties against companies that violate their workers' rights by using union-busting tactics like intimidation, harassment, or threat of fire.

The principles that are the foundation of the Employee Free Choice Act -- giving workers a direct path to form unions, toughening penalties against employers who break the law and helping workers secure a first contract in a reasonable period of time -- are ones we must never waiver on.

The sooner the Employee Free Choice Act is enacted, the better -- for U.S. workers and for the U.S. economy. Because in this economy, "people should be able to bargain, not beg, their way into the middle class."

Read the whole editorial here.

"This isn't an either/or proposition between the interests of workers and the interests of shareholders. That's the old argument. The new argument is that the American economy is not and has never been a zero-sum game. When workers are prospering, they buy products that make businesses prosper." -- President Barack Obama, Jan. 30, 2009

Today, 225 Colorado businesses released a "directory" featuring businesses that support the Employee Free Choice Act.

"It's time our economy worked for everyone again," said Terri Monley, owner of Gate City Moving in Denver. "We have a fundamental economic problem: The middle class is disappearing in America. Congress needs to pass the Employee Free Choice Act because it is one of the most important steps we can take to strengthen our middle class and turn our economy around."

"As a business owner, I believe that workers should have the freedom to bargain with employees for good wages, health care and the opportunity to retire with dignity," said Diana Ortiz, owner of Colorado-based Ortiz Enterprises, LLC, and advisory committee member of Business Leaders for a Fair Economy, a national group of more than 1,000 businesses who have come together to support the Employee Free Choice Act. "Better wages mean that the whole community has more money to spend and to build our economy." Ortiz's business was recently named "Small Business of the Decade" by the Pueblo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

The facts speak for themselves: when workers can unite for a voice on the job, they make one-third more in wages and are 52 percent more likely to have health care. More people, with more money, invariably support small businesses. In this economic crisis, we have a duty to support entrepreneurs and start-up companies in building sustainable, long-term successful businesses, rather than being forced to compete against irresponsible companies in an unwinnable, low-wage race to the bottom.

Nearly 40 leading American economists, including Nobel Prize winners Joseph Stiglitz and Kenneth Arrow, have issued a joint statement calling for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act as a critical step towards rebuilding our economy.

"Name a successful unionized company. Think. You're gonna go to break before you come up with one."

Today, SEIU International President Andy Stern made the following statement in response to comments by New York Times reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin and MSNBC's "Morning Joe" cast on the effectiveness of unionized companies.

"Unionized companies are a driving force in our economy, from Kaiser Permanente to Securitas. The bigger question this country is really asking right now is how do we define a successful company? Is it a company that turns a profit by driving down employee wages successful?  Is cutting off benefits or putting people out of work to improve the bottom line for shareholders a business model we as Americans want to embrace? Are we going to embrace the Wal-Mart model as the standard of success, or are we going to raise the bar and rebuild the middle class in this country?

"We think it's time to have a serious national discussion about what we want the future of our economy to look like--and the voices of women and men who work are critical to that conversation.  That's why we're supporting the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill to help create an economy in which companies succeed based on the quality of their services, not on their willingness to exploit or silence workers."

Change to Win released the results of the seventh in its ongoing series of American Dream surveys yesterday, measuring views on how strong majorities of working Americans view the economy, the role of government, the American Dream, and the action agenda that is at the heart of the new progressive majority.

The good news I was immediately struck with upon reading these survey results is that most working Americans believe the American Dream is still realistic... nearly two-thirds of working people surveyed said they believe the American Dream is a 'somewhat' or 'very realistic goal' for their family.

However, great economic distress and anxiety is taking its toll -- 58 percent of respondents believe it likely that a member of their family or someone they know will lose their job over the next year; 52 percent believe it likely that a member of their family or someone they know will lose their health insurance over that same period. Working Americans also specifically blame corporate greed and its stranglehold on government for the decline of the American Dream and they want Congress--which they rate poorly--to take action on the American Dream Agenda.

Time for action: 62 percent of respondents agree with the statement, "The time to act on health care, energy, and education is now. When we don't take action these problems get worse and cost much more," with just 30 percent taking the opposite position that "[w]e should not spend billions on major reforms in areas like health care, energy, and education unless we first stabilize the economy and can keep spending low."

In order to win over the emerging progressive majority among America's workers, Congress must implement an effective action agendathat includes cracking down on corporations that outsource good jobs (83 percent), creating a more progressive tax system (81 percent), encouraging and enforcing fairness in the workplace (83 percent), and providing quality, affordable health care (80 percent). "This is the year we make our elected officials accountable for the promises they made when we voted for them," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer and Change to Win chair Anna Burger.

* You can download the complete survey (PDF) conducted by Lake Research Partners, or a memo summarizing its findings (PDF) for more details. Summary of results from Change to Win's sixth American Dream Survey (released in Nov. 2008) can be viewed here.

Everyone's jumping on the train. Today 155 Pennsylvania college & university professors signed a letter asking Sen. Arlen Specter to support the Employee Free Choice Act.

The letter notes that Pennsylvania's middle class needs the act because it'll empower them to bargain for fair wages and benefits, and in turn, will help the economy recover.

In their letter, the academics state:

Studies show that most workers would join a union if they had the opportunity. Workers in unions earn better pay and benefits than their non-union counterparts but only if they get a contract. We need the Employee Free Choice Act in order to ensure that workers get the unions they want and the first contracts they deserve, free from today's corporate-dominated process that subjects them to threats, illegal firings, coercion and delay.

This letter from Pennsylvania academics comes on the heels of almost 50 Arkansas academics asking Senator Blanche Lincoln to support the Employee Free Choice Act.

The full text of the letter to Senator Specter is below.

Sociology professor Daisy Rooks of the University of Montana put the Employee Free Choice Act in its proper perspective with her glowing endorsement atop the editorial page of The Missoulian.

Too often the forces against America's working families derail true debate by posing false -- but seemingly powerful and righteous -- concerns. Does Free Choice deprive workers of the secret ballot?

No. Under today's laws, the "secret ballot" requested by employers is a sham. It's a way for employers to intimidate and fire pro-union workers to rig the election.

The Center for American Progress Report (CAP) is out, and the results are definitive: labor unions are a crucial part of fixing our economy.

The state-by-state study reports that even a five percent national increase in unionization rates would pump more than $25 billion into the national economy, $77 million of which would go directly to Maine.

As the study reports, economic recovery starts not with big government bailouts, but with the purchasing power of average Americans. 70% of our nation's economy comes from consumer activity, but with income for the median working age household falling by $2000 between 2000 and 2007, so did the accompanying consumer activity. And an economy built on debt-driven consumption is unsustainable, as we can clearly see today.

Unions have been responsible for the creation of the middle class, and pioneered such benefits as health care, pensions, even the weekend. As Penni Therault, owner of Lots of Tots Child Care and President of Kids First, MSEA-SEIU, says, "We need to lift up as many workers as possible into the middle class...When workers are doing well, our economy does well. And when our economy is doing well, there is more funding to maintain good public jobs and quality public services."

The facts from the CAP report speak for themselves:

Unions Help Workers Achieve Higher Wages

• Between 2004 and 2007, unionized workers wages in Maine were 8.6 percent higher than similarly employed workers not a member of a union


• Maine workers that join a union will earn $1.54 more per hour than their identical non-union counterparts

Workers Wage Growth Lags as Productivity Increases

• If Maine's workers were rewarded for 100 percent of their increases in labor produc¬tivity between 1980 and 2008, average wages would be $23.27 per hour - 29.60 percent higher than the average real wage in 2008.

Unionization Rewards Workers for Productivity Growth

• If the rates of unionization in Maine were the same today as they were in 1983, new union workers in Maine would earn an estimated $144 million more in wages per year.


• If 5 percent more Maine's workers were union members, $77 million would be pumped into the state's economy.


• Non-union workers would also benefit, as employers would be likely to raise wages to match those of workers in a union.

Union employers are significantly more likely to provide employee benefits:

• Nationwide, union workers are 28.2 percent more likely to have employer-provided health insurance and 53.9 percent more likely to have employer-provided pensions than similar workers who are non-union.

Three out of five workers would join a union if they could (according to the Peter Hart Research Associates Poll). However, workers attempting to unionize currently face a hostile legal environment, with intimidation by aggressive anti-union employers the norm.

The Employee Free Choice Act would protect workers by ensuring a fair, majority sign up, penalizing employers who break unionization contract rules, and ensuring mediation to thwart bad-faith bargaining, all without big government spending. Boosting workers wages and benefits would provide a much-needed jolt to Maine's economy.

Let's improve our economy the American way, and pass the Employee Free Choice Act in support of unions.

Today, the Politico debuted a special section online and in print about the Employee Free Choice Act. Asked what difference the Employee Free Choice would make, Stern responded, "It allows workers to negotiate with their employers. So when there are increases in productivity or increases in profits, [workers] get to share in the gain. They're clearly sharing in the pain right now, so the real issue is will they share in the gain? The Employee Free Choice Act gives them that chance."

SEIU President Andy Stern and the Chamber of Commerce's Steven Law take five questions in five minutes. Watch the Politico video here:

In The Arena, Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger explains why Congress should pass the Employee Free Choice Act through telling the story of Janneke Emery, a Washington state healthcare worker who, along with her coworkers, has struggled to gain a voice on the job.

Despite their election victory, a clear majority of support for the union and surviving an intense anti-union campaign, the hospital CEOs have denied Janneke and her coworkers the chance to sit down and bargain with their employer for a better workplace for themselves and their patients, and better lives for their families for over a year.

The Employee Free Choice Act gives workers the freedom to choose whether or not a union is right for their workplace, free from threats, intimidation by management, or even firing. The Act would mean bigger fines and harsher penalties for employers that violate the law.

Read Anna's entire response on Politico here. Check out Politico's special section on Employee Free Choice here.

At the Costa Mesa town hall meeting this week, the main item on President Obama's agenda was selling his $787 billion stimulus package and other large-scale proposals on the way on education, health care reform, housing and energy. Obama addressed a crowd of more than 1,000 people in a relatively upbeat fashion, as he promised "brighter days ahead" and the expectation that the administration can create or save 396,000 jobs in the state of California over the next two years.

President Obama also introduced the launch of a new website: www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov, to help borrowers determine whether they're eligible for the administration's housing plan (an estimated 7 to 8 million homeowners are), and to help them calculate how much money the plan could save them on their monthly payments. The plan is designed to help homeowners save money by refinancing or modifying their mortgages.

During the Q&A session of the Orange County town hall, Obama reiterated a theme of looking out for working people and creating an economy where prosperity is once again broadly shared--an economy that's good for everybody, not just the few at the top. "If the middle class is doing well, working people are doing well, then everybody's doing well," the president said.

One of the audience's questions came from the president of the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, Bob Balgenorth, who referenced the Bush administration's failure to enforce wage and hour conditions for workers and other workers' rights protections. "What can your administration do to make sure that people get the wages that they're entitled to in this terrible economic downturn?" asked Balgenworth.

In his response, Obama reiterated his support for making it easier for workers to form unions to restore balance and improve millions of Americans' economic standing:

We think it is important that unions have the opportunity to organize themselves.

[...] The business press says that's anti-business. And whenever I hear that I'm always reminded of what Henry Ford said when he first started building the Model T -- and he was paying his workers really well. And somebody asked him, they said, why are you paying your workers so well? He said, well, if I don't pay them well, they won't be able to buy a car.

Think about that...part of the problem with our economy and the way it was growing was that wages and incomes for ordinary working families were flat for the entire decade. Now, I don't need to tell you this because you've experienced it in your own lives. You've just barely kept up with inflation while people at the very top...were seeing all the benefits.

So when I say that we should make it easier for unions to organize and observe Davis-Bacon, all I'm trying to do is to restore some balance to our economy so that middle-class families who are working hard, going to their jobs every day, doing the right thing by their kids -- they should be able to save, buy a home, go on a vacation once in a while. You know, they should be able to save for retirement, send their kids to college. That's not too much to ask for. That's the American dream. And the only way we get there is if we have bottom up economic growth instead of top down economic growth.

All day Tuesday, workers from more than 30 states and a number of unions were on the Hill to lobby their own Members of Congress on the importance of the Employee Free Choice Act.. The workers related their personal stories of being fired or harassed when they attempted to form a union, and several workers participated in a hearing from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee on the importance of unions in restoring the middle class.

Among the witnesses called to testify before Congress was SEIU 32BJ member Kelly Badillo, who told the committee the devastating experience of what it was like to be working in the north tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 when the planes hit. Badillo related how his union helped him and his family get back on their feet in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedy, when while living with the terror of the attack, he also had to worry where his next paycheck was going to come from:

"Two thousand, seven hundred and fifty people lost their lives, including forty-seven SEIU members. Many thousands more lost their jobs. More than twelve hundred 32BJ members - cleaners, security officers, building maintenance, window washers and elevator operators like me were suddenly trying to live on unemployment.

One week later, I got a call from my union. They asked me to come to our union hall and meet with my employer, American Building Maintenance. There were more than 800 other members there when I arrived.

Working together, my union and my employer agreed to:

* $130 per week in supplemental unemployment.
* Continued health insurance for us and our families.
* We kept our pensions.
* The Green Cross was in our union hall everyday to help us deal with our loss and the psychological effects of September 11."

And a little over four months later, ABA called back with a way to get Badillo and others back to work. Additionally, workers close to retiring had five years added to their years of service and age.

"My story exemplifies that businesses and unions can work together for the benefit of hardworking Americans like me. My daughters are grown and have jobs of their own, but I can only hope they can enjoy a strong voice on the workplace like I have had," said Badillo.

The New York Times tells the story of Badillo's experience in a piece written in September 2001 - read it here.

>> Kelly Badillo's entire testimony here.

Today the Senate takes its first vote to confirm Hilda Solis as our Secretary of Labor. Your senators need to hear from you today in support of Rep. Solis.

Please click here to send a note to your senators before today's vote:

Click here to take action and write to the Senate.

During our current economic crisis, it's important that we have a strong Secretary of Labor as the voice of working people. Hilda Solis will be responsible for unemployment benefits, enforcing the minimum wage, and managing job creation and training programs.

Hilda Solis is a champion of the middle class. She's fought for green jobs, fair pay for women, and children's health insurance. Raised by two union members, Solis is an experienced leader who has fought to restore balance to our economy and fairness for working families throughout her entire career.

President Obama nominated Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor more than two months ago. It's time she was allowed to get to work.

Click here to send a note to your senators in support of Hilda Solis before today's vote.

Senator John Kerry writes an op-ed this weekend in The Herald News on the Employee Free Choice Act; legislation he has strongly supported since 2007. He begins his opinion piece with a strong defense of unions and their value to the US economy, while adding in a full frontal assault on the Big Business interests that are actively trying to
prevent American workers from having rights and prosperity.

"Workers in unions earn 30 percent higher wages on average, and are 60 percent more likely to have employer-covered health insurance. The question is what we will do to empower workers in this new century -- and it should begin with The Employee Free Choice Act's common sense, fundamentally fair mission of making it easier for men and women to join a union in their workplace.

[...] "Powerful, entrenched opponents of the legislation have made a variety of false statements, arguing that the bill will take away workers' right to a secret ballot election, expose workers to intimidation and harassment or hurt the economy. These arguments are untrue and especially dubious because they have no reliable data to back them up. Too often, these objections come from the same people and groups that have enriched and protected Wall Street over Main Street -- among them those who opposed ideas like minimum wage increases and family medical leave, which history has proven are mainstream, commonsense policies."

Kerry goes on to write extensively on why the Employee Free Choice Act is not something small businesses should be worried about, an argument Big Business has pushed hard in this fight.