Monday, October 8, 2007

Five Cities Signed Up So Far for National Jobs for All Week!

Dear Friends,

As of now we have five cities planning actions for Jobs for All Week (Nov. 2 - 9) Dayton, New York City, Boston, Cleveland and Louisville, KY. I'm still doing outreach to organizations around the country to encourage their involvement.

Logan

Boston
Lenore Pereira 617-298-6013
lenorepereira@yahoo.com

Cleveland
S.T.O.P. Targeting Ohio’s Poor
Valerie Robinson 216-321-1677
vcrobinson@yahoo.com

Organize! Ohio
Larry Bresler 216-431-6070
lbresler@organizeohio.org

New York City
Rev. Bernard Mayhew revmayhew@gmail.com 917-216-6312
Chuck Bell cbell@igc.org 914-830-0639
National Jobs for All Coalition njfac@njfac.org

Louisville
Women In Transition
Khaliah V. Collins kvcollins@witky.com
502-636-0160

Dayton
Miami Valley Full Employment Council
Logan Martinez 937-275-7259 /
americassafetynet@hotmail.com / http://www.njfac.org/

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Jobs for All Week - November 2nd to November 9th

The National Jobs for All Coalition is calling for events and actions to highlight the fight for jobs and economic justice November 2nd through November 9th. Jobs for All Week is being organized to support THE DRIVE FOR DECENT WORK. This program will provide needed human services and infrastrucuture and other investment, and at the same time create decent jobs.

Over 16 million Americans are unemployed or involuntary part-time workers, or among the "hidden unemployed"--those who would like a job but aren't currently looking. Other millions more are working at poverty wages. And millions more, even college graduates, are without pensions, health insurance, or job security.

The need for for public investment was highlighted by the Katrina disaster and the recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis. All over the country, there are Katrinas and Minnesotas waiting to happen.

Our proposal is a Win/Win Solution to deal with our double deficits in DECENT WORK and PUBLIC INVESTMENT in human and physical resources.THE DRIVE FOR DECENT WORK campaign supports legislation in the US Congress, bills that correct the underinvestment in vital human and physical resources and at the same create millions of decent jobs.

Legislation includes the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act, Bringing America Home Act (HR 4347), Elementary and Secondary Education Act, a legislative proposal to hire 100,000 new teachers, proposals on renewable energy, youth employment, a Living Wage Jobs for All Act (HR 1050), and proposals for improving transportation and the environment.

For the complete list, please consult THE DRIVE FOR DECENT WORK at http://www.njfac.org/sharedpros.htm or http://www.njfac.org/sharedpros.pdf We are also supporting national Health Care for All and have included proposals for legislation repairing the losses and investing in protections for the Gulf coast.

The National Jobs for All Coalition is calling for activities in the fall, including educational events at community centers and union halls. Universities might feature panel discussions highlighting local conditions, lay-offs, plant closings as well as the job opportunities in providing services and investments needed by their communities. Panels should included laid-off workers, those whose jobs or incomes are threatened, educators, trade unionists and low income advocates. We see these events as the kick-off of a national debate on jobs and needs for public investment and services which have gone unmet for so long.

We encourage groups to organize actions at employment offices and Job Centers on Friday November 2, 2007. Informational picket lines and rallies will bring attention to the plight of working people. November 2nd is first Friday of the month, the day unemployment figures are released by the Dept. of Labor. We will have just a brief time to organize this effort but we believe we can get this off to a good start now. We could have a major impact on national politics.

We are seeking endorsements and resolutions by city governments and other governmental bodies in support of Jobs for All Week and THE DRIVE FOR DECENT WORK. We are also seeking endorsements from both organizations and individuals for this drive.

For more information contact:

Logan Martinez
Miami Valley Full Employment Council / National Jobs For All Coalition
Phone: 937-275-7259
E-mail: americassafetynet@hotmail.com
Web: http://www.njfac.org/

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WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO SHARED PROSPERITY?

NATIONAL JOBS FOR ALL COALITION: WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO SHARED PROSPERITY?

Our nation’s output per person doubled since 1970. But most of us don’t share this prosperity. Why? Most of it goes to the top.

It wasn’t always this way. After World War II, Americans began to expect that growing abundance would be more widely shared.

Progress toward shared prosperity has been reversed.

How? Through an assault on middle- and lower-income people by Corporate America and its political partners. By shipping millions of jobs overseas. By increasing profits at the expense of workers and the environment. Through tax giveaways to the rich. By a decline in effective political protest.

WHAT WOULD SHARED PROSPERITY MEAN NOW?

Secure, living-wage jobs for all • Equal opportunity • A safe workplace • Occupational advancement A more humane workplace • Increased worker autonomy • Collective bargaining rights • Paid vacation and sick leave • Quality, affordable child care • Reduced work time • More time for family, community and leisure • Paid family leave • Health care for all • Public health protection • Affordable housing • Sustainable energy • A clean environment • Affordable, accessible public transportation • Lifelong education • Decent income and services for the elderly, disabled and ill

HOW CAN WE START BACK TO SHARED PROSPERITY?

Reduce the Chronic Jobs and Public Investment Deficits

Initiate a Drive for “Decent Work”

The Chronic Jobs Deficit -- Even with the unemployment rate 4-5%, there are millions more unemployed workers than available jobs. And that’s not even counting the underemployed and underpaid. The chronic jobs deficit is especially high and burdensome for minorities and youth.

The Public Investment Deficit -- Underinvestment in public transit, bridges, levees, schools and other infrastructure. Underinvestment in child, elder and health care, education, housing and other basics.

A nation that fails to invest in its human, physical and environmental resources is doomed to decline.

Decent Work through Public Investment Is a Win/Win Solution

EVERY JOB SHOULD BE DECENT WORK

Decent work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives. It involves opportunities for work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize, and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men. —International Labour Organization (ILO)

STEP 1. Support bills introduced in Congress and other proposals to meet urgent, unmet public needs and create millions of living-wage jobs. If all pending job legislation were enacted, this would substantially reduce unemployment, underemployment and the public investment deficit.


STEP 2. Reduce military spending to genuine defense needs and stop the Bush tax cuts for the rich that increase inequality and cost the Treasury billions. Public investments pay for themselves in the long run, but start-up costs can be met through ending the tax giveaways and wasteful military spending.


STEP 3. Introduce and Pass the 21st Century Public Investment Act To provide for high-priority public works and services that aren’t currently funded, with emphasis on increasing jobs for the unemployed. Jobs would pay prevailing wages along with health and other benefits.

Public Investment and Decent Work Cost the Government Less Than Unemployment
Newly employed workers become taxpayers, and government spends less on benefits to cover the heavy social and economic costs of unemployment to jobless workers and their families. Workers are healthier, better educated—hence more productive—and likely to earn more. Profits rise as consumption expands and capacity is more fully used. The economic stimulus of direct job creation typically spurs further, indirect job creation.

Establish a National Employment Accounting Office (NEAO) To evaluate progress, assess
continuing needs for job creation and public investment and assure both community involvement and achievement of Decent Work Principles.

STEP 4. Make the Minimum Wage a Living Wage Bring our inadequate minimum wage up to its 1968 level—or about $9 an hour (2006)—to be phased in gradually and linked to 60% of the average wage thereafter.

Documentation for these proposals is available at the NJFAC website at http://www.njfac.org/ or, in hard copy, from the NJFAC office (see below). Download a PDF copy of this flyer from: http://www.njfac.org/whathap.pdf

You can also download the full NJFAC Program and Principles for the Drive for Decent Work from: http://www.njfac.org/sharedpros.pdf, or order a hard copy of the 16 page pamphlet from our office for $3 by emailing: njfac@njfac.org or contacting our office at:

National Jobs for All Coalition
c/o Council on International & Public Affairs [CIPA]
777 United Nations Plaza, Suite 3C,
New York, NY 10017
Tel: 212-972-9877
Fax: 212-972-9878
http://www.njfac.org/
Email: njfac@njfac.org

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