WHEREAS:

Even though the Great Recession technically ended in June 2009, recovery has not arrived for unemployed workers and their families.  Almost 13 million workers were unemployed in the first half of 2012; and 

 

WHEREAS: 

Long-term unemployment remained at unprecedented levels and affected 5.4 million workers who were without jobs for an average of 40 weeks; and

 

WHEREAS: 

8.1 million more workers who wanted full-time jobs were working part time, and 2.6 million had dropped out of the labor market; and

 

WHEREAS: 

Private employment appeared to be stabilizing and beginning to increase at the beginning of 2012, but layoffs in the public sector continued to drag down the economy; and

 

WHEREAS:

Since 2008, state and local government lost approximately 650,000 jobs, and public sector job loss continued into 2012.  The last three years of job losses at the state and local government level has been the most dramatic since Labor Department record keeping began in 1955; and

 

WHEREAS:

Those job losses have led to slower emergency response times, backlogged courts, and larger classroom sizes.  Public sector losses aren’t likely to cease in 2012. Congressional Republicans have blocked numerous efforts to aid states since stimulus funds expired, including a provision in the president’s American Jobs Act that would have helped prevent layoffs of teachers, firefighters, and police officers; and

 

WHEREAS:

Looming federal budget cuts will lead to further job losses in the state and local sectors. The House-passed Ryan Republican federal budget, according to the Economic Policy Institute, would result in the loss of roughly 1.3 million jobs in 2012 and 2.8 million jobs in 2014; and

 

WHEREAS:

The loss of government jobs has had dire effects on the recovery. In 2011, government job losses pushed total layoffs past the 2010 total, despite better job growth in the private sector; and 

 

WHEREAS:

Misguided politicians propose to cut taxes, gut regulations, offer economic development giveaways and weaken unions, calling those strategies job creation when in fact, they don’t create jobs, they simply transfer power and wealth from workers to corporations.

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME will initiate and strongly support federal legislation and other initiatives to stabilize and expand state and local public services and jobs and will strongly oppose federal budget cuts that lead to further job losses in state and local government; and 

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: 

That AFSCME calls for rebuilding the U.S. economy by curbing Wall Street excess and working to restore economic opportunity for all through a sustained program of public investment in infrastructure, education and innovation that will lead to long-term growth and job creation; and   

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME will expose and oppose any proposal that harms workers under the guise of job creation; and

 

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME will strongly support economic policies that make the creation of good public and private sector jobs an economic priority.

 

 

SUBMITTED BY:

Danny Donohue, President and Delegate

Denise Berkley, Secretary and Delegate

CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000

New York