President Obama this morning released his version of health care reform legislation that combines elements of the Senate and House bills passed late last year. The new plan was unveiled in preparation for Thursday’s televised bipartisan White House health care summit. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said working families “look foward” to moving the ball forward …
Obama Releases Revised Health Care Reform Blueprint Read More »
The White House Task Force on the Middle Class today announced several initiatives it says will help middle-class families afford soaring child care costs, care for their aging relatives, cope with the challenge of saving for retirement and pay for their children’s college tuition. President Obama says the measures will help “ease the burdens on …
Middle Class Task Force Addresses Child Care, College Costs, Retirement Security Read More »
Massachusetts voters sent a strong signal to Washington lawmakers Tuesday that they want results—and aren’t seeing any. Not on health care reform, not on job creation and not on fixing the nation’s economy. Voters also sent another powerful message for Democrats: Ignore the working class at your peril. Some 79 percent of voters polled on …
The Working Class Has Spoken. Will Democrats Listen? Read More »
When Royetta Sanford retired as director of the Electrical Workers (IBEW) Human Services Department, she did not stop working to improve the lives of working people. Instead, she has begun to train the next generation of union leaders. Sanford has volunteered to share her knowledge and experience to mentor Carrie Meyers-Herron, a recipient of the …
Mentors Training Next Generation of Union Leaders Read More »
With heavy defections from Blue Dog Democrats, the House of Representatives still narrowly passed Wednesday evening 217 to 212 a $154 billion jobs package. It included funds for states to retain front-line workers, aid to the unemployed and transportation projects. But a jobs bill has yet to be voted on in the Senate, where it’s …
As newly elected secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, I traveled the country this fall, talking with workers and hearing their concerns. The economic crisis is causing a lot of pain. So many people have no jobs, no health care–and many are losing their homes. And as I looked into the faces of young workers, the reality …
Workers, community leaders and religious activists are holding rallies, prayer vigils and other actions in more than 40 cities around the country today as part of a National Day of Action to Stop Wage Theft. Wage theft is a national epidemic, which robs millions of workers of billions of dollars they’ve worked for but never …
This morning, President Obama announced he will invite labor leaders, business executives, small business owners, economists and other financial experts to a special White House summit on jobs next month. Obama says the summit will explore ways to slow the loss of jobs and quicken the pace of job creation at a time when the …
While we take the time this Veterans Day to honor the courage and sacrifice shown by our veterans, we should also rededicate ourselves to making sure vets have a secure and stable life after they finish their service. The U.S. Labor Department reports the unemployment rate among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is 11.3 percent, significantly …
Union leaders joined President Obama in hailing the historic, if narrow, passage of major health reform legislation in the House this weekend. The bill “is a fiscally responsible bill that will cover 96 percent of Americans, end insurance company discrimination and denials of care and equip health care providers with the tools they need to …
Big Unions Hail Healthcare Bill Passage, as Senate Challenge Begins Read More »
Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.
