Thursday, November 25, 2010

NELP, Labor Unions & Congress Abandon 99er Cause


It appears for certain that NELP, several labor unions and Congress have all abandoned the 99ers’ cause. Congress is the major culprit here, with Senator Stabenow (D-MI) blatantly lying to the 99ers on National TV (MSNBC’s The Ed Show) when she promised S3706 would be brought to the floor for action right after the election. Liars in Congress are no big surprise - but one would think better of labor unions and NELP, right? WRONG!

The 99er nation was assured time and again from April through July this year by NELP (National Employment Law Project) that once HR 4213 was passed (which did not include a Tier 5) that NELP would immediately turn their enormous lobbying power and energy towards getting a Tier 5 bill written and passed. Once HR 4213 was finally passed, NELP did NOTHING of the sort. More liars!

Then we have the AFL-CIO labor union, who was a major player in the One Nation Rally, held on October 2, 2010 in Washington DC. Before the election, the AFL-CIO and their Working America (WA) branch by all appearances embraced the 99ers cause, yet at the One Nation Rally - NOT ONE WORD in the entire 4 hour plus program was given to address the desperation and struggle of the millions of 99ers, suffering greatly - without UI benefits for (by then) 7 months.

It was neither NELP or the AFL-CIO who successfully lobbied the House and Senate to draft the Tier 5 legislation introduced after HR 4213 finally passed Congress. It was the relentless work of the 99er Nation who bent the will of the House and Senate and Washington’s FEAR of losing the election that resulted in those bills being introduced. Nobody in Congress ever had any intention of allowing either bill to do anything but die in committee.

Now, all of the sudden NELP and the AFL-CIO are publicly outraged over the failure of Congress to pass an extension of the UI filing dates expiring next week. After all - God forbid that another 2 million jobless Americans lose their benefits around the holidays. Funny though how neither organization gives a damn about the 4 to 5 million jobless Americans who have not had any UI income for soon to be 9 months.

NELP and the AFL-CIO seem to be playing the same tune once again and the name of that tune is “Screw the 99ers” - just like Congress and the Whitehouse have been singing all along. But NELP and the AFL-CIO have a very strong connection.

It appears that NELP's Executive Director used to be a big cheese at AFL-CIO. Why am I not surprised?

Christine L. Owens, NELP Executive Director cowens@nelp.org
202-887-8202, ext. 304 (Washington, DC Office) 212-285-3025 (New York Office)
Christine Owens joined NELP as its Executive Director in January 2008. Over her long career as a workers’ rights advocate, she has held a variety of public interest and public sector positions advancing employment rights and opportunities for women, people of color and low wage workers. In 1997, she joined the national AFL-CIO as a senior policy analyst specializing in workplace equity issues, and in 2001, was appointed Director of Public Policy. At the AFL-CIO, she worked closely with NELP and numerous national and grassroots economic policy and worker advocacy groups, along with national unions and state labor federations, to promote reforms such as minimum wage and living wage hikes, pay equity for working women, and state UI coverage expansions. Before joining the AFL-CIO, she founded and ran the Workers Options Resource Center, which coordinated the efforts of a broad-based coalition of national and community organizations to win the 1996 federal minimum wage increase.
You see this is not about jobs or UI for Americans - it is more about job opportunity for those big wigs in the powerful positions improving their own wages and opportunity.

I suggest that if NELP gets any public funding at all from Washington that every 99er needs to ask the incoming Republican Tide to cut off their funds immediately! NELP and the AFL-CIO should not be discriminating against the longest term unemployed in favor of those not suffering anywhere near as long as the 99ers have been.

Now the AFL-CIO has announced a National Day of solidarity on December 7th, 2010 to stand together for America’s long-term jobless workers and want you to sign a petition that leaves out over 5 million jobless American 99ers suffering the worst. Well I will NOT be signing that petition or any other which does not include help for the 99ers!

Next up U-Cubed announced "Join us for National Unemployment Insurance LOBBY DAY on December 1, 2010."
Text from the announcement: “Last chance! Congress must pass a year-long extension of unemployment benefits before the holidays.
Unless Congress reauthorizes the current program before it expires on November 30th, jobless benefits will be cut off for about 2 million workers by the end of December.

Act now. Participate in the Unemployment Insurance Lobby Day on Wednesday, December 1st.
Not one word yet again about the 99ers in this one year long extension! Unbelievable!

Cindy Paoletti, relentless advocate for the 99er Nation decided to email Rick Sloan, IAM Communications Director & Acting Executive Director of Union of Unemployed (UCubed) to find out why.

The following is a quote from Mr. Sloan’s return email:

“In 40 days, de facto control of Congress shifts to the GOP and the deficit hawks among the D's. Between the House Rules Committee and the Senate Cloture Rule, no jobs bill, no UI extensions and no new Tier V will see the light of day ... unless by some miracle the GOP wakes up to the fact that jobless households cast 45 percent of their votes for Republican House candidates. I, for one, don't believe in such miracles.

So, in the closing days of this Congress, the AFL-CiO and the Democratic leadership are trying to thread the needle. If a short term extension is all that has a chance of getting through, then that is what they'll try to get done. But that's still a long shot given the election results. Without a big lobbying push, even a couple month extension might not happen.”
I, Paladinette have nothing but the highest respect for Rick Sloan. His opinion has merit and is based upon years of experience about how Washington works. U-Cubed has always been supportive of the 99er plight and our Tier 5 hopes.

With that said, it is with great regret that I cannot and will NOT participate (again) in yet another fight to extend UI filing dates only. The 99ers did this before and when we greatly helped HR 4213 get passed - nobody stood with the 99ers to get us what we needed when it was over.

Maybe I just do not have any fight left in me - poverty will do that to a person. Fact is I need all my energy and every penny I can beg, borrow, find or earn just to survive and continue to look for the one thing that can save me - a JOB!

In closing I just want to point out that labor unions, NELP and Congress all have their own agenda and the 99ers are flat out not important enough to any of them to fight for or save. Congress and NELP have proven themselves to be liars and the AFL-CIO refuses to include the 99ers in their fight. In my book that makes them all useless!

If the Democrats are going to cave in to the Republicans on the Tax cuts for Americans making over $250K per year - which it looks like they will - then at the very least Washington Democrats, Union Leaders and supposed lobbying groups for the unemployed like NELP should see to it that Americans get the most out of that negotiation by including help for the 99ers in that “give away” to wealthiest citizens who do not need it at all.


The Republicans would give up just about anything to keep the Bush tax cuts in place - so why not grow some “stones” Democrats and get the utmost in return for what you give away? Here is a clue for those faint of heart members of Congress who may not have a political spine left after the election: Extend the cap up to $1 million (from the current $250K) for exactly as long as the Republicans agree to extend UI benefits - including a Tier 5. Anything less is simply weak and unAmerican.

Gee - anyone feeling THANKFUL for NELP, Labor Unions & Congress yet? Me neither....

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