AFL-CIO leaders praise State of the Union Address

“President Obama eloquently and forcefully advocated for working families throughout his State of the Union Address,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said.

In his speech Tuesday evening before Congress, Obama called for raising wages through collective bargaining, better paying jobs, a fairer tax code, fair overtime rules, and expanded access to education and earned leave.

Trumka said Obama “sent the right message at the right time. So did his embrace of union apprentices and immigrants who want to achieve the American Dream. The president has again demonstrated his strong commitment to creating an economy that truly works for all working people.”

Trumka said, “Fighting income inequality is one of the biggest challenges of our time,” noting a recent Oxfam study showing that by next year, the richest 1% of the world’s people will have as much wealth as the other 99%.

“Now is the time for politicians to champion a Raising Wages agenda that ties all the pieces of economic and social justice together,” Trumka said.

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson echoed similar themes in her comments on the president’s speech.

“While President Obama acted on progressive policies where he can, it will be up to Republicans in Congress to decide whether they want to work with him to help empower working people,” she said. “So far, it doesn’t appear they are willing to work with him.

“However, here in Minnesota, we don’t have to wait for Congress and the President to act. We already took a large step last year by raising Minnesota’s minimum wage. Minnesota lawmakers can go even further this year by enacting legislation to combat wage theft, require earned sick and safe time for workers at all jobs and mandate fair scheduling practices.”

One area where Obama differed with organized labor was his advocacy of free trade agreements such as the Trans Pacific Partnership. He argued that if the United States doesn’t participate, “China wants to write the rules for the world’s fastest-growing region.”

Organized labor opposes the current trade negotiations that are being held in secret and are heavily influenced by corporate lobbyists. Past trade talks have resulted in deals that lacked human rights, labor, consumer and environmental protections.

View video of the State of the Union Address on the White House website.