Washington, D.C.--SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry issued the following statement in response to a new report detailing that America's 500 largest corporations saw their profits skyrocket by 81 percent last year. The news comes as the Department of Labor announced that jobless claims unexpectedly rose last week:

It's time for Fortune 500 corporations to use their record profits to create the good jobs America's families desperately need. Today's rankings show they can clearly afford it.

"The economic divide between rich CEOs and corporations and working families is made crystal clear by today's release of the Fortune 500 rankings. As Fortune 500 corporations rake in historic profits, the rest of America continues to suffer under a debilitating economic crisis leaving millions of Americans without jobs, without homes, and without hope for a better future.

"This is not an economy to be proud of. This is not an American economy that brings out the best in our country, rewards hard work, and promises the next generation a better life.

"Working people want to call on corporations to share in the sacrifices we have been making for the past 10 years and share responsibility for investing profits in job creation.

"It's time for CEOs to realize that we are all Americans and that we must all unite around a common vision to move our nation forward. It's time for America's largest corporations to invest in our country and in American workers."

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