Labor & Employment Law

Tell Boehner: Act on Trade Adjustment Assistance Now

By Mike Hall

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told tens of thousands of workers that if they lose their jobs because of unfair trade practices tough luck, just pull yourselves up by your Chinese-made bootstraps.

Boehner and his Republican House colleagues refused last week to schedule a vote on extending the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act (TAA) for workers who have lost their jobs because of outsourcing, offshoring and unfair trade deals. As a result, the program that for nearly 50 years enjoyed bipartisan support, expired Saturday.

Rather than working to solve our economic problems, Boehner and Republican leaders are determined to pay back corporate CEOs who are offshoring jobs, cutting wages and giving themselves bonuses.

You can deliver a message to Boehner that it is inexcusable and unacceptable that he keeps promoting policies backed by corporate CEOs that encourage outsourcing–yet does nothing for the workers who lose their jobs. Click here.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says, “Apparently the Republican leadership thinks that workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own due to trade deals are living too high on the hog.”

Want to bet that if Boehner?s job was outsourced to an offshore, low-wage legislature?not a bad idea actually?that he would be the first in line for the help from the TAA?  

Sign the petition to Boehner here. 

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on February 14, 2011 (boomark / email).