Workers Can Go to www.unemploymentlifeline.com for Assistance
America’s workers are suffering through the worst job loss in a generation, while too many politicians continue to stand in the way of urgently needed government action and reform. Addressing the deeply rooted problems in our labor market is just as important to ending the recession as fixing the banking system.
We lost 539,000 jobs in April, bringing the total job loss since the recession began to over 5.7 million and the unemployment rate to 8.9 %. While job loss slowed last month, the number of people unemployed for a long time has risen, and as a result of George Bush’s disastrous policies, this is now the longest recession since World War II.
The only two bright spots in the jobs report were small increases in government jobs and education and health care. It is clear that sustained and targeted government spending will be crucial to turning around this dire jobs picture. President Obama's early action in implementing a substantial economic recovery act and strong budget – one that included a serious down payment on national health care reform, investments in needed infrastructure and green jobs and essential funding for education and workforce development – has been and will continue to be absolutely critical in the coming months.
These job losses are deep, long lasting and widespread. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) increased by 498,000 to 3.7 million over the month and has risen by 2.4 million since the start of the recession in December 2007. We need determined action from the Obama Administration, Congress and the Federal Reserve in response. We need to get our economy back on track, create good paying jobs, and restore balance to the fundamental building blocks of our economy. We must make sure to focus on the real economy, not just the financial economy.
The threat of home loss is also central to this crisis and the government is likely going to need to do more to address this issue.
We also must make broad-based economic changes to have sustained economic growth and an economy that works for everyone. We must deal with our country’s unsustainable trade deficit. We must reform our financial regulatory system to provide more transparency and government oversight and regulation. And we must pass the Employee Free Choice Act so workers can win the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively with their employers for fair wages, security and benefits.
To help America’s unemployed, the AFL-CIO and Working America have created the largest online resource for workers at www.unemploymentlifeline.com
Contact: Eddie Vale (202) 637-5018
