Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on the State of the Union Address

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.aflcio.org/mediacenter/prsptm/pr01232007a.cfm

Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on the State of the Union Address
January 23, 2007

America’s middle class is sinking fast, and tonight President Bush will offer a teaspoon to bail them out.

While the President may have convinced himself the country is headed in the right direction, he’s not fooling America’s working families. Two-thirds of voters say our country is headed in the wrong direction – on Iraq, good jobs, health care and retirement security, among other issues.

The reality in America is that working people are struggling to get by in an economy designed to benefit Wall Street, not Main Street. Wages remain stagnant, personal debt is skyrocketing, good jobs continue to be shipped overseas, health care costs are out of control and the hope of a secure retirement is fading. Corporate CEOs, on the other hand, are receiving record pay – the average CEO now makes 411 times more than the average worker.

Under this President, more than 37 million Americans live in poverty. Since he took office, 3 million good manufacturing jobs have disappeared. And it’s a national disgrace that 47 million Americans struggle to get their basic medical needs met because they have no health insurance.

The President obstinately refuses to put forth proposals that would address the health care crisis in a meaningful way. Last year the President touted Health Savings Accounts as the panacea for the nation’s health care woes. Tonight Bush is expected to tout tax deductions as a way to drastically reduce the number of uninsured. Like previous proposals from this President, his tax deduction plan would make things worse, not better – and actually increase the number of uninsured and underinsured.

We need universal health coverage to ensure that every American has his or her basic medical needs met.

And it’s imperative the President, and his military leaders, clearly articulate the path for rapid withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. What is needed in Iraq is an expansion of political and diplomatic efforts – not military escalation.

If the President refuses to act on the issues most important to America’s working families, Congress must.

The House of Representatives is off to a good start, voting to give low-wage workers absurdly- overdue relief by raising the minimum wage, without more tax breaks for business. We call on Senators – Republicans and Democrats alike – to reject corporate poison pills and vote for a fair, long overdue raise in the minimum wage to $7.25. Congress must also reform trade policy to stem the flow of good jobs out of our country and pass the Employee Free Choice Act, a crucial bill to strengthen workers’ freedom to make their own choice to form or join unions to improve their lives.

Last November working people sent the Bush Administration a powerful message: It’s time for our nation to change direction. Now the President should listen to American voters and work with lawmakers from both parties to put our nation back on track instead of stubbornly continuing to drag us in the wrong direction.

Contact: Steve Smith [phone]