Progressive groups representing millions of workers and minorities across the country assembled today to send a message to President Obama and Congress — it’s time to do more to create new jobs. The AFL-CIO, the NAACP and the National Council Of La Raza held a joint event today on what the groups called the “worst crisis in America today” — unemployment. Leaders of each group called on Washington to put other priorities aside and immediately begin pumping billions into job creation programs the groups say will target the worst-hit in the economic downturn.
Overall unemployment stands at around 10%, according to the most recent numbers. In minority communities, the groups say, that number is far higher reaching as high as 16% for African Americans. The effects of the jobless rate are far-reaching in minority communities, the speakers said — and could be a sign of things to come for the rest of the nation.
“Black people in this country are the canaries in the economic coal mine,” said Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP. “In this country, we act like what’s happening in one room doesn’t affect what’s happening in another. But what is happening in the black community is happening everywhere.”
La Raza president Janet Murgia painted a similar picture of the nation’s Hispanic community.
“For Latinos, unemployment passed 10% eight months ago,” she said.
Both leaders praised Obama for the stimulus package, but said that now was the time for more efforts. Obama may be listening — yesterday, administration officials announced a Dec. 3 job summit at the White House that officials say will bring together business leaders and economists to discuss unemployment. In Congress, leaders in both houses are said to be working on jobs bills.
The progressive leaders already have their own plan that they say will save or create millions of jobs in the short term. Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, laid out the plan when it was his turn at the mic today.
The groups all call for new spending efforts aimed directly at creating jobs targeted at low income and minority populations. They advocate using government funds to pay workers to repair schools, refurbish parks and work on other infrastructure projects. They also call for the release of TARP funds to boost loans to small- and medium-sized businesses, which they say were left out of the first round of economic bailouts.
(For more details on the plans, see yesterday’s TPMDC story on the AFL-CIO plan.)
“The Recovery Act was bold and necessary action,” Murgia said, referring to the stimulus. “Now it’s time for more bold and necessary action again.”
