An Economic Recovery Plan for American Families:
Fighting for American Jobs, Restoring Rights for American Workers
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The economic crisis and financial chaos that surround us are part of an even bigger story. The United States has been borrowing enormous amounts of money while shipping quality jobs overseas and not producing enough domestically. Predictably, that's resulted in a crushing decline in the standard of living for working families.
While even most conservatives now agree that government must act to end this economic crisis and support providing a handout to the biggest bankers on Wall Street, they continue to attack government involvement in health care reform and bargaining rights for workers.
In their view, the government rescue of Wall Street bankers and investment firms is just a necessary fix. Health care reform, on the other hand, is an unwanted intrusion by government.
We take a different view. We believe that the best way to restore the economy and restore the living standard of millions of American families is to focus on quality jobs and bargaining rights.
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Create 21st Century Jobs and Infrastructure
To rebuild our economy, the U.S. needs wind farms across America and development of more alternative energy, high mileage cars produced in the U.S., and the build out of high speed Internet networks – the economic engine for the 21st century -- for rural and urban families and businesses. Necessary repairs to our highways and bridges and communities will require a massive infrastructure investment, with the materials and technology all produced by millions of new jobs. This is a real investment in our future, one that supports middle income and working Americans. These kinds of quality jobs and real economic development will address our country's financial crisis and should be ahead of any further financial bailouts or tax rebates to Wall Street. We've had enough bailouts for companies that outsource manufacturing and services, and get a tax break for doing so.
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Pass the Employee Free Choice Act
We are through listening only to the organized voices of bankers, brokers and billionaires. Around the world, workers are increasingly bargaining their stake in the global economy. In the United States, however, bargaining coverage only exists for 12 percent of US workers; that's one-third the typical rate for the large economies in the global North or South. In the US, our health care crisis, retirement insecurity and pay cuts have only made the economy worse, not more competitive. Consumption has been fueled by borrowing and trade deficits have cut our jobs and transferred wealth to Asia and the Middle East. Promoting bargaining rights for US workers must be part of any recovery plan. This is the best economic stimulus, one that will restore the middle class and our standard of living.
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Health Care for All, funded by a broad based tax
If all Americans had world class health care, millions of jobs would be created for health care workers and our nation's health care crisis could be addressed. If funded at least in part by taxes on imports, health care for all could help create millions of additional jobs. Almost every other global democracy funds health care with Value added Taxes on imports (and often other goods).
We need to move most health care funding away from being a "tax" on our jobs, share the burden among all US employers and have the right to bargain supplemental health care as 12 million union members still do.
We need to step up and step out to build a coalition for a 21st Century New Deal. We will join together with labor and youth, civil rights and progressives, faith based groups and environmentalists, everyone who wants to sign on to a new economic recovery plan for America, one that benefits American workers, not just Wall Street. Let's get started!
A Recovery Plan for All of Us
Jobs, not just rebates
Jobs, not just bailouts
Support for American Workers, not just Wall Street
Communications Workers of America
Executive Board
October 12, 2008
