Labor & Employment Law

?States of Denial? Tracks State Lawmakers? Attacks on Workers

By Mike Hall

Across the country, state politicians are in ?States of Denial.? Instead of creating jobs and solving the problems of middle-class working families, newly elected Republican legislators and governors are pushing legislation to cut good jobs and benefits, lower wages, threaten job safety and weaken unions.

These attacks are a payback to the CEOs who financed their campaigns and will help swell already record-size corporate profits and keep those CEO bonuses coming.

The AFL-CIO?s new States of Denial website gives you the latest news on these state-level battles and what you can do to fight back. It includes facts about so-called ?right to work? proposals; attacks on public workers and public services; proposals to end prevailing wage laws and Project Labor Agreements; silencing workers with paycheck deception; and interference with collective bargaining.

Take action by signing a petition to tell your state legislators to focus on creating good jobs with fair pay?not playing politics and harming working people. Connect with other working family activists in your state. Stay on top of the action by texting STATES to 225568 (message and data rates may apply) for AFL-CIO rapid action alerts in your state.

Find out the State of Play with the latest headlines from around the nation and watch videos from workers describing the effects of the attacks. The videos include Ohio child care worker Ella Hopkins, responding to Republican Gov. John Kasich?s move to take collective bargaining rights away from child care workers, and retired New York City Fire Fighter Bill Romara, whose pension and health care, like those of hundreds of thousands of other public employees, are threatened.

Join the conversation on Twitter (hashtag #aflcioSOS) and friend us on Facebook, too.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on February 09, 2011 (boomark / email).