After two years, President Obama has made historic changes and his efforts on job-creation, financial regulation and healthcare reform have stabilized the economy and put America back on track after the dark years of the Bush era. President Obama pushed for new rules cracking down on Wall Street excess that caused the recession and home foreclosure crisis. The monumental healthcare overhaul is improving the quality of medical care while limiting the most egregious abuses by health insurance companies. Autoworkers and highway construction workers still have jobs due to his stimulus plan.
President Obama has also stood up for the rights’ of workers. The federal government under his direction is enforcing labor law and helping put workers who want to organize on a more equal playing field.
Kristi Cohen, a flight attendant with Allegiant Air, now has a voice at work with the TWU thanks in part to a rule change that made organizing in the airline industry more democratic.
But as our nation faces tough decisions and continued economic troubles, we must be vigilante in pushing President Obama to stand up for working people and defend the programs, services and ideals that are vital to ensuring our shared prosperity. The President can only achieve his goals if we in the labor and progressive movements hold him and other politicians accountable.
In the midst of the hysteria around budget deficits, the President must remain steadfast in his continued support for vital social programs and public services. Cutting Social Security, the hard-earned retirement of working Americans, is not an option. Meanwhile, education, infrastructure and transportation spending is necessary for building a competitive 21st century clean and green economy.
Eugenia Jones, a subway station agent in NYC who was laid off during service reductions, knows the personal sting of budget cuts and needs funding restored in order to provide for her family.
Corporate profits and CEO bonuses have bounced back from the recession to reach all-time highs, but companies are not hiring workers or passing the money along and are using government funds to line their own pockets. Workers at American Airlines know this all too well. They granted the company major concessions during tough times, but now the company does not want to share the prosperity or reward workers for their sacrifice without more concessions.
America needs bold action as millions of Americans are still out of work and at risk of losing their homes. President Obama campaigned on the message of hope, now we need the change. As President Obama stated “it’s about winning the future.”
Fraternally,
James C. Little,
TWU International President