President's Plan Mirrors Many Principles SEIU Laid Out Last Week

Washington, D.C.--Today, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) released the following statement of Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger following President Obama's speech on job creation:

Today, President Obama demonstrated once again why he is the leader we need to pull us out of this economic crisis.

"President Obama's ambitious jobs plan will put Americans back to work today and lay the groundwork for workers to compete for jobs in a 21st century economy.

"The President understands that we cannot borrow our way out of this crisis; we must earn it. The President's plan mirrors many of the principles we laid out last week to put people back to work--the need to invest in small businesses, our aging infrastructure, and a new green jobs economy.

"Now it's time for Congress to follow the President's lead and act on this bold new jobs agenda--not tomorrow, not next week--but today.

"Each day we delay means thousands more Americans unable to support their families. It means thousands more Americans unable to pay their mortgage. It means more small businesses going dark.

"No more foot-dragging. No more tinkering around the edges. The American people demand real results and Congress must not rest until they get the job done."

SEIU JOBS PLAN

Last week, SEIU Secretary Treasurer Anna Burger called for an ambitious and comprehensive jobs plan for the 21st century that includes:

1. Extending the safety net, including increasing unemployment insurance and expanding work sharing programs to provide unemployment benefits for reduced hours of work.
2. Using TARP funds to increase credit for small businesses.
3. Expanding federal fiscal relief to states and local governments to save an anticipated 900,000 jobs and the vital services in our communities.
4. A public jobs program that targets the fastest-growing sectors of human services such as child care, in-home services for the elderly and disabled, and other services our communities need. This will create jobs in the public and private sectors and ensure our communities are healthy, educated, and well cared for.
5. Leveraging private investment with public dollars through a Green Bank that will promote energy-efficiency and renewables as a major source of job creation, in both the short and the long term. The jobs we create today will lay the groundwork for the industries of tomorrow.

   Expanding the home retrofitting programs begun under the Recovery Act will create good jobs in construction and related industries. Including commercial and public buildings would increase the scope of the program, create high skilled jobs, and protect the planet by reducing demand for energy. By acting now, America can lead the way on green technology.



6. Investments in our aging and failing infrastructure by rebuilding our schools, roads and bridges--putting millions to work. An Infrastructure Bank can foster public/private partnerships in developing regional and large scale projects critical for a 21st century economy.


7. Planning for the passage of healthcare reform, which will add tens of millions of Americans to the healthcare rolls and create more than a million new and different jobs in healthcare and related industries. We need to ensure our present healthcare workforce is prepared and we need innovative recruitment and training programs to meet this new workforce demand.


8. Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act to protect workers' freedom to form unions and allow them to share in the prosperity of a new 21st century economy.


9. Expanded worker training programs on a national scale so that young people are prepared for new industries and workers can the learn skills necessary to compete for new jobs. It's time to coordinate across agency lines and provide flexible lifelong training for the new economy.

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