We are disappointed to inform you that a Solidarity Day III event where the labor movement would mobilize and demand that the government institute a massive jobs-creation program is not going to take place — for now.

Unfortunately, the top officials of the AFL-CIO failed to move on this proposal at the AFL-CIO’s special meeting of state federations and central labor councils in Orlando, Florida, on April 23-25, 2010.

We did, however, manage to create a significant groundswell where numerous labor bodies across the nation passed resolutions in support of such a Solidarity Day III march and rally in Washington, DC. These resolutions and the many endorsements by leading trade unionists were a reflection of the widespread suffering of working people who are bearing the brunt of the current economic crisis through layoffs, furloughs, home foreclosures, loss of health insurance, and so on.

Deep discontent among working people has been spreading and intensifying. It erupted in California on March 4 when tens of thousands of working people and many unions joined students and teacher unionists in demonstrations to defend public education and social services. In Oregon, despite strong opposition from corporations, the unions succeeded in leading the struggle to pass progressive taxation, forcing higher taxes on the corporations and the wealthy. In both cases, working people demonstrated an eagerness to stand up and fight for their own interests. And they represent a huge reservoir of strength that can be tapped.

While the wealthy use their money to lobby politicians, ordinary working people have historically turned to organizing huge protests to press for their needs. Accordingly, such protests served as a vital tool in winning union recognition in the 1930s. They were key to the success of the Civil Rights movement, they contributed to ending the U.S. war in Vietnam. They have helped to defend immigrant rights, and they have brought down governments around the world. Their power emanates from their size: When they are huge, it becomes unambiguously clear that they represent the desires of the majority of society.

Nevertheless, most top officials of the labor movement have rejected — for now — the option of organizing a massive demonstration for jobs. They view themselves as acting pragmatically by navigating through what they perceive as a permanent configuration of political alignments. In particular, most union officials look to the Democratic Party with the hope of winning some benefits, and they do not want to jeopardize the prospect of modest gains. Horrified at the possibility of inflicting the slightest injury on the Democrats, labor officials are avoiding organizing large demonstrations that would pressure the Obama government into creating jobs. They fear that the Republicans will be quick to take advantage of fissures in the relationship between labor and the Democrats.

The problem with this strategy, however, lies in the duplicitous role of the Democratic Party. On the one hand, it claims to be a friend of labor and has been quick to accept hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions from unions each year. On the other hand, it receives far greater contributions from corporations, which have been adamant in insisting that labor occupy a far subordinate position in this unsavory triangle.

President Obama has received more money from financial institutions than any other sector of the economy. Consequently, administrations, whether headed by Democrats or Republicans, have allowed banks to engage in predatory loans and charge interest rates amounting to usury when people have overdrawn their bank accounts; they have allowed taxes on corporations and the wealthy to incessantly slide downwards, thereby squeezing public education and social services; they have given corporations a free hand to proceed recklessly so as to cause environmental catastrophes; they have permitted corporations to keep wages low in order to push profits higher; and they have enabled the wealthy to become wealthier than ever before.

Currently, the Obama administration has failed to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, even though it had a super-majority in Congress, it refused to consider single-payer health care, it dropped any form of a public health care option, despite strong labor support, it applauded the mass firing of teachers in Rhode Island, and it is supporting charter schools, which constitute a direct attack on unions.

In fact, never before in the history of this country have so few had so much at the expense of so many. And it raises the question: For how long will huge amounts of wealth belonging to a small minority of the population who enjoy untold luxuries be allowed to prevail over the basic needs of the working people of this country, who constitute the vast majority?

Worse still: The economic crisis for working people is far from over. Unemployment remains high, public education and social services continue to be gutted, and the enormous federal government budget deficit is looming in the background. President Obama has already established his deficit-reduction committee, headed by Republican Allan Simpson, and there has been incessant chatter about reducing Social Security benefits, which constitute the most modest lifeline for millions of Americans. The banks, the corporations, and the wealthy are pushing hard to compel the Obama government to protect their privileges at our expense. The labor movement will be forced to stand up and fight. Otherwise, what little we have will be taken from us.

We are confident that the Solidarity Day III campaign is not at an end but at the beginning. The organized labor movement will be compelled to mobilize working people to defend their standard of living. And the only effective means at its disposal will be to establish a broad united coalition, led by labor, to bring people into the streets to demand the creation of 11 million jobs while taxing Wall Street to pay for them, as AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has proposed.

By refusing to rely on the politicians and by establishing an independent movement of labor, working people will be in a position to reach out and unite the majority of the population so that in solidarity we can create a powerful movement to fight for our common interests.

Bill Leumer and Alan Benjamin
Co-coordinators
Workers Emergency Recovery Campaign

Despite its control of the presidency and its super-majority in Congress, the Democrats have done little to alleviate the suffering of working people, while bestowing trillions of dollars on bankers.  Accordingly, those who caused this economic crisis through their recklessness and greed have been reimbursed for their losses and are back to business as usual, rewarding themselves with huge bonuses once again.  In contrast, working people, who had nothing to do with creating this crisis, are bearing the burden of suffering through the loss of our jobs and our homes and the erosion of public education and social services.

The recent Democratic Party loss of the Senate seat in Massachusetts reflects the growing disconnect between the policies of the Democratic Party and the needs of working people. There are already indications that the Democratic Party plans to move even more to the right in pursuit of a corporate agenda that further attacks the rights and working conditions of the rest of us.

As Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, recently announced in response to the Massachusetts elections: “It’s not time to leave it to any political party to take care of us once we put them in office. It’s time to organize and mobilize as never before to make every elected or aspiring leader PROVE he or she will create the jobs we need in an economy we need with the health care we need. I know we are the people who can mobilize a massive army to force elected leaders to deliver.”

Now is the time to organize a massive Solidarity Day III demonstration in Washington, D.C. and possibly on the West Coast to make our voices heard in favor of:

• a massive job creation program
• single-payer health care
• a stop to foreclosures and evictions
• passage of EFCA, with card check
• peace

The history of the labor movement is filled with massive mobilizations of working people that won the eight-hour day, the right to unionize, civil rights, unemployment insurance, welfare, and so on.  When the challenges were enormous, working people rose to the occasion.  We can turn things around today by employing the same successful tactics. And we should insist that since working people constitute the majority of the population, society should operate in the interests of the majority!

It was a loud and clear message that our elected leaders-and our labor movement-must do more for working people, do it fast and do it smarter.

An AFL-CIO poll taken Tuesday night shows without doubt:

Voters are fed up that elected leaders have done too little to help working families.

They said Democrats have NOT overreached on jobs, the economy and health care-they have underreached.

Voters have seen too much help for Wall Street and not nearly enough help for Main Street.

Unless Democrats demonstrate that fixing the economy is their overriding priority, and begin to create more jobs for working Americans NOW, we’re going to see more results this November like the Massachusetts election.

For the union movement and activists, the message was also clear: It’s not time to leave it to any political party to take care of us once we put them in office. It’s time to organize and mobilize as never before to make every elected or aspiring leader PROVE he or she will create the jobs we need in an economy we need with the health care we need.

I am not discouraged by Tuesday’s election results. Actually, I’m energized and I want you to be, too. Working America is demanding major change NOW-not timid, go-slow, partial solutions.

I know we are the people who can mobilize a massive army to force elected leaders to deliver.

Let’s do it-starting NOW.

P.S. I’m sending this same message in a YouTube video. Please take a look and share it with other fighters for working families.

In solidarity,

Richard L. Trumka
President, AFL-CIO