On Thursday, two years after the financial meltdown that has spiraled into the worst economic crisis in a generation, the Senate finally voted to approve the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act.  This financial reform bill takes some key steps towards breaking the control that Wall Street has over our country.

This important victory is just the beginning.  We will continue organizing to hold the big banks accountable and work to ensure that the banks who profit from our money benefit our communities.

Jorge Ramirez, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor, spoke to Rep. Kirk’s staff, “that’s the primary reason why a lot of these folks are here.  They’re unemployed, their unemployment benefits are getting cut off… he needs to know that the votes he makes in Washington are directly accountable to the people you see in this room.”

The House has already voted to extend unemployment benefits (without Rep. Kirk’s support), but it has yet to pass the Senate.  A Senate vote is expected Tuesday.

JwJ coalitions convened and spoke at a variety of workshops, including: Uncovering the Truth on Police & ICE Collaborations (DC JwJ), Social Networking for Social Justice (KY JwJ), Writers’ Circle (Missouri JwJ), The Impact of Financial Restructuring on Michigan Workers and the Union Response (SE Michigan JwJ), Good Jobs for All:  Winning Full and Fair Employment for a New Economy (National JwJ), and The TRADE Act as a Tool for Global Justice (Southern Oregon JwJ). 

Jobs with Justice members participated in the Excluded Workers Congress People’s Movement Assembly which focused on how we can expand workers’ rights to organize.  We heard inspiring testimony from a variety of workers who are fighting for their rights on the job (stay tuned for more on this, including video).

In the evening, JwJ co-sponsored a march and rally with AFSCME Council 65 and the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO to demand, “Money for JOBS, not Banks!”

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Tell your Senator to vote for the American Jobs & closing Tax Loopholes Act:

This jobs crisis is deeper and longer-lasting than even the Reagan recession of the 1980s.  State and local governments are starting to lay off thousands of teachers, and experts predict a loss of nearly one million jobs in the coming months if Congress fails to help the states now.

So what’s the hold up?

Many Democrats seem to be falling for right-wing scare tactics about the budget deficit and some are even buying into the ridiculous argument that getting jobless benefits keeps the unemployment rate higher.

But defecits are necessary in a jobs crisis.  Just imagine what forcing one million more onto the

Continue reading CALL NOW! The Jobless Can’t Wait Any Longer.

What we really need is a major jobs creation program, but the 15 million jobless Americans need support – NOW!

Tell your Senators to support jobless workers!

There are still nearly 6 people looking for every job opening, and even optimistic projections suggest it will take 5-6 years before the unemployment rate drops to pre-recession levels.  If all the jobless Americans stood shoulder to shoulder, they would stretch across America — twice.

Unless Congress acts, 300,000 people will run out of unemployment benefits next week.  Unless Congress continues jobless benefits, like the subsidy for COBRA payments, 144,000 per month will likely lose health coverage. 

Tell your Senators to act now!

Michele Pomerantz,  CTU Trustee and Director of Political Action and Cleveland Jobs with Justice member  said, “today’s announcement gives me hope that better days are coming for everyone.”

The crowd of approximately 100 listened intently while a small group of teabaggers (3, in fact) tried to

Continue reading Sherrod Brown Will Introduce the Local Jobs for America Act in the Senate

The protest was organized by National People’s Action, SEIU, the AFL-CIO, and Jobs with Justice.

The crowd rallied in McPherson Square park before shutting down K Street and then marching to the Bank of America.  Check out the video & photos from the action below.

This is a major step towards accountability, as Fed Head Ben Bernanke has repeatedly refused to tell even members of Congress which financial institutions received trillions of dollars in low or no cost loans from several “special” programs.  Despite being broadly popular with voters (like breaking up the big banks and an independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency), Wall Street’s grip on Congress made the audit an uphill battle.  But Sanders agreed to compromise language that limited the audit to a one-time examination of the “special” loan programs.  Similar language is already in the House version of banking reform.

The Senate is continuing to take up other amendments, to strengthen and weaken the reform bill.  Even the New York Times editorialized, “They Have to Do Better” on financial reform.

Let’s keep up the pressure!