Spring arrived a few weeks ago, and a few new bills in Congress need to be planted and supported, or thrown out like weeds. Find out which ones and how to get active in the 99% Spring below.
This Spring We Rise!
From April 9-15, the 99% Spring, we will gather across America to train ourselves in non-violent action and join together in the work of reclaiming our country. History is calling; it’s time to step up. Find out where there is ” Spring Training” in your area.
Bills in Congress: Jobs and Budgets
Sen. Harkin (D-Iowa) has put forward a positive bill titled the “Rebuild America Act.” As the AFL-CIO puts it, the legislation “builds the economy for the 99%.” Here are its main components:
- Invest in infrastructure and manufacturing
- Provide the education and skills necessary for a 21st century workforce
- Empower workers
- Bolster retirement security
- Strengthen families
- Pay for the bill by creating a fairer tax structure
For more on this legislative effort, read: the People’s World article or SEIU’s page which includes a way to tweet your support for the bill. Another reason job creation is so important is the fact that the economy is doing the job with six million fewer workers, but producing the same amount of product, according to the Labor Department.
As you’re probably aware, GOP Budget Chairman Paul Ryan has put forth yet another terrible budget. But what you may have not heard of is the Congressional Progressive Caucus budget, called the Budget for All. Its focus is on investing in American jobs and reducing the deficit – but not doing it on the backs of the poor and elderly.
Take Action: Facebook Follow-up
BoldProgressives.org have put together a petition to the Justice Department, stating: Employers should not be allowed to demand private social networking passwords from job applicants. This privacy violation needs to be investigated – and needs to be stopped. Please sign it now!
Please make sure to visit the People’s World online for the best in worker’s news!
Other resources to check out:
WeNeedJobsNotCuts.com – UnemployedWorkers.org – Unemployed Nation – JobsNotCuts.org
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Scott Marshall is a vice chair of the Communist Party and chair of its Labor Commission. Scott grew up in Virginia where he first became active in the civil rights movement in high school, working on voter registration and anti-Klan projects in rural Southern Virginia and Tennessee. He was also active against the war in Vietnam.
Scott has been a life long trade unionist and was active in rank and file reform movements in the Teamsters, Machinists and Steelworkers unions in the 1970s and '80s. He was co-chair of the Save Our Jobs committee of USWA local 1834 at Pullman Standard in Chicago and active in nationwide organizing against plant shutdowns and layoffs. He was a founder of the unemployed organization Jobs or Income Now (Join), in Chicago, and the National Congress of Unemployed Organizations in the 1980s.
Scott has worked for the Communist Party since 1987 when he became the district organizer for the party in Illinois, a post he held until he was elected chair of the National Labor Commission in 1997. Scott remains active in SOAR (Steelworkers Active Organized Retirees). He lives in Chicago.
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