Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

For America’s workers, three words say it all: jobs, jobs, jobs. The AFL-CIO has a jobs plan, and it’s time for Congress and the White House to act.

Our five-point plan for immediate job creation includes increasing aid to state and local governments to prevent layoffs and maintain vital services, creating jobs by repairing and building infrastructure, and putting TARP funds to work on Main Street, not Wall Street.

Tell Congress: America needs jobs now. It’s time to put America back to work. A copy of your message will be sent to President Obama.

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

More than 15 million people have lost their jobs and are seeking work, and millions more have even given up looking for work. The situation is dire, and we need you to take action. At yesterday's White House Jobs Summit, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka laid out the following five-step plan to save and retain jobs. The time is now to implement this plan.

-- Extend the lifeline for jobless workers. Unless Congress acts now, supplemental unemployment benefits, additional food assistance and expansion of COBRA health care benefits will expire at the end of the year. They must be extended for another 12 months to prevent working families from confronting bankruptcy, home foreclosure and loss of health care. Extending benefits also will boost personal spending and create jobs throughout the economy.

-- Rebuild America's schools, roads and energy systems. America still has at least $2.2 trillion in unmet infrastructure needs. We should put people to work to fix our nation's broken-down school buildings and invest in transportation, green technology, energy efficiency and more.

--Increase aid to state and local governments to maintain vital services. State and local governments and school districts have a $178 billion budget shortfall this year alone--while the recession creates greater need for their services. States and communities must get help to maintain critical frontline services, prevent massive job cuts and avoid deep damage to education just when our children need it most.

--Put people to work doing work that needs to be done. If the private sector can't or won't provide the needed jobs, the government should step up to the plate and link the people who need jobs with the work that needs to be done. These jobs should never be replacements for existing public jobs. They must pay competitive wages and should target distressed communities.

--Put TARP funds to work for Main Street. The bank bailout helped Wall Street, not Main Street. We should put some of the billions of dollars in leftover Troubled Asset Relief Program funds to work creating jobs by enabling community banks to lend money to small- and medium-size businesses. If small businesses can get credit, they will create jobs.

I'm counting on your help to put America back to work.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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