Crunch Time for American Jobs
May 24, 2010
If members of the U.S. House of Representatives support creating jobs and putting Americans back to work, as they so often claim, they’ll vote this week for a bill that creates jobs and makes Wall Street pay, says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
Saying it’s “crunch time for putting Americans back to work,” Trumka tells lawmakers: “If you’re not for this bill, you’re not for jobs. Period.”
Join AFSCME and the AFL-CIO in pushing hard for passage of the jobs bill and take action now. Use our click-to-call form to urge your representative to vote for H.R. 4213 to create and save jobs and make Wall Street pay. Tell your representative a vote against the bill is a vote against jobs.
President Trumka's full statement on this critical vote:
It's crunch time for putting Americans back to work. Members of Congress often talk about jobs: Now they have a chance to back up their rhetoric with action.
This week Congress intends to vote on a jobs bill that cracks down on tax loopholes for millionaire hedge fund managers and on corporations that ship our jobs overseas. This jobs bill will put Americans back to work by repairing our crumbling infrastructure; stemming public sector layoffs in the states; encouraging more bank loans to small business; extending unemployment benefits and health benefits for the unemployed through the end of this year; and providing over 300,000 summer jobs for unemployed youth.
If you're not for this bill, you're not for jobs. Period.
And please, no more excuses about the budget deficit—unless and until you're willing to make Wall Street pay its fair share to bring down the deficit. The people who are always saying "no" to jobs because of the deficit are often the same people who voted to squander our hard-earned budget surpluses so they could shower undeserved tax breaks on rich people during the Bush years. Apparently, spending money on rich people is perfectly okay, but investing in jobs for working class Americans sets off alarm bells.
It's time for members of Congress to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Vote for jobs. Now.
