Unions speak the truth on Social Security

<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="380" id="cnbcplayer" width="400"> <param name="type" value="application/x-shockwave-flash"/> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/> <param name="quality" value="best"/> <param name="scale" value="noscale" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"/> <param name="salign" value="lt"/> <param name="flashVars" value="startTime=000"/> <param name="flashVars" value="endTime=000"/> <param name="movie" value="http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/3000209229/code/cnbcplayershare" /> <embed name="cnbcplayer" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" height="380" width="400" quality="best" wmode="transparent" scale="noscale" salign="lt" src="http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/3000209229/code/cnbcplayershare" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /></object><br /><br />Social Security, the program that provides over half  of American seniors a majority of their income, is more important than ever. Across America, <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/basicfact.htm" rel="nofollow">nearly 58 billion workers and their families</a> rely on Social Security every month to pay the bills.<br /><br />But once again, the<a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/01/fix-debt-is-full-of-crap.html"> greedy billionaires behind Fix the Debt</a> are trying to cut Social Security benefits so they don't have to pay their fair share of taxes. They don't care that Social Security keeps millions out of poverty. They don't care that it's essential to sustaining what's left of the middle class.<br /><br />The greedy billionaires are now trying to persuade Congress to cut Social Security (and probably Medicare) when they meet in three months to discuss budget cuts. They're trying to disguise it by calling it "chained CPI," which is nothing but jargon for "cuts."<br /><br />Unions are out front warning Americans of the looming threat -- just like the last time the billionaires tried to push the cuts through Congress. Teamster General President Jim Hoffa <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/teamsters-strongly-oppose-cuts-social-security">staunchly opposes the cuts, which hurt the oldest and poorest retirees the most:</a><br /><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><br />Social Security does not contribute to the budget deficit and should remain off the table in these year-end budget negotiations.  Americans work all their lives to earn the Social Security benefits they were promised. It would be a terrible mistake to go back on that promise.</div><br />Even though <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/10/19/5-incredible-social-security-facts-that-young-adul/" rel="nofollow">less than three-quarters of the fund </a>comes from payroll deductions, Fix the Debt minions have been spreading misinformation, saying that Social Security will cause the US to go bankrupt.  When an anchor from CNBC claimed that the US may well go bankrupt from Social Security, Damon Silver, the AFL-CIO's policy director, <a href="http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Political-Action-Legislation/ZING!-Talking-Truth-to-CNBC-on-Social-Security-Lies" rel="nofollow">set the record straight</a>:<br /><br /><div style="margin-left: 30px;">That’s frankly not true. That is a lie put forward by billionaires who don’t want to pay higher taxes....The people who believe what you said are people not counting on those programs and who are worried their very large incomes will be taxed.</div><br /><div style="margin-left: 30px;">Chained CPI is like the vampire of American politics. It keeps being shot through the heart and it keeps reviving. The reason it keeps coming back is because it has billionaires behind it. </div><br />Our nation needs to keep the decades-old promise to workers.  There is no such thing as an acceptable cut -- especially when the country has more than enough resources to fund the program that keeps millions of seniors out of poverty.<br /><br />

chained CPI middle class retirement SENIORS social security Unions speak the truth on Social Security

Social Security, the program that provides over half  of American seniors a majority of their income, is more important than eve...

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Unions help improve salaries for all, group finds

<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We’ve </span><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/09/US-households-are-now-earning-less-than-in-1989.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">written many times</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in this space about how union jobs provide a better standard of living for workers. And a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau stats released last week backs that up. Workers in states with higher union memberships </span><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/09/23/2665131/the-middle-class-does-better-in-states-with-lots-of-union-members/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">are earning more</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> than those in the least unionized states.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h_dGLMurMP4xjAAQj0karoMUOl4wh1xSKmQjij1iKjIlQg5kGdVQdvjSJRxotdzsOuZ0gl8uzlPMW7NiMsJReB0n9JsivDzCYPRVFautp0X9h_sMBwY7hZtbHzXxAfJCZea7c_zxMdpC/s1600/middle-class_I7bsn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h_dGLMurMP4xjAAQj0karoMUOl4wh1xSKmQjij1iKjIlQg5kGdVQdvjSJRxotdzsOuZ0gl8uzlPMW7NiMsJReB0n9JsivDzCYPRVFautp0X9h_sMBwY7hZtbHzXxAfJCZea7c_zxMdpC/s200/middle-class_I7bsn.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Center for American Progress’ Action Fund (CAPAF) looked at the income of the middle 60 percent of households in 2012. Middle-class families in U.S. states with the lowest unionization rates -- North Carolina, Arkansas, South Carolina, Mississippi and Georgia -- all earned below average income, while those in four of the five most unionized states -- Alaska, Hawaii, Washington and Rhode Island -- earned above average incomes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> But CAPAF also </span><a href="http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/labor/news/2013/09/20/74751/middle-classes-are-stronger-in-states-with-greater-union-membership/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">delved deeper to uncover wider income disparities</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">:</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Further illustrating this divide is the gap between the average percent of total state income going to the middle class in the top 10 and bottom 10 most-unionized states. In the top 10 most-unionized states, households in the middle class received 47.4 percent of total state income on average; in the bottom 10 states, households in the middle class received only 46.8 percent. While a difference of 0.6 percentage points may not initially appear large, in 2012, 0.6 percent of Pennsylvania’s aggregate income, for example, would have equaled over $2 billion, or almost $700 per middle-class household.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Even for those not part of a union, the labor movement’s added clout in those states with the highest union membership meant there was increased advocacy on behalf of workers’ interests both in the workplace as well as on the political agenda. CAPAF said unions “have an effect on the everyday lives of middle-class families.”</span>

middle class unions wages Unions help improve salaries for all, group finds

We’ve written many times in this space about how union jobs provide a better standard of living for workers. And a new analysis of U.S. C...

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Lament for America's middle class

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rKXDlnpUrNE" width="420"></iframe><br /><br />We may have posted this emotional video about the destruction of America's middle class before, but we stumbled across it recently and thought it's worth recycling. Here's what the video is about:<br /><blockquote>On June 18, 2011 artists Ligorano/Reese presented a temporary monument in the garden of Jim Kempner Fine Art in NYC called "Morning In America." The installation was witnessed by hundreds and lasted a total of 8 hours throughout the hot day. </blockquote><blockquote>...A THOUSAND CUTS is a timelapse video of the event. The soundtrack was inspired by an excerpt from Senator Bernie Sanders 8 hour filibuster on the U.S. Senate floor against the extension of the Bush tax cuts and the effects on the middle class. It is orchestrated to music by composer/violinist Michael Galasso. </blockquote><blockquote>Special Thanks </blockquote><blockquote>Dru Arstark, Anthony Caputo, Dan Walworth, Okamoto Studio, Postworks NY<br />The entire text of Senator Sanders speech is available as a book, published by Nation Books, The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class,</blockquote>

Bernie Sanders middle class Lament for America's middle class

We may have posted this emotional video about the destruction of America's middle class before, but we stumbled across it recently and t...

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Colbert asks 'Why do we need a middle class?'

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FUYam604UxU" width="420"></iframe><br /><br />What happened to two middle-class families after they lost their good factory jobs? That was the question Stephen Colbert asked broadcast legend Bill Moyers.<br /><br />Watch the video to get the answer. It's worth all seven minutes.<br /><br /><br />

inequality middle class Colbert asks 'Why do we need a middle class?'

What happened to two middle-class families after they lost their good factory jobs? That was the question Stephen Colbert asked broadcast le...

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