‘Today, Congress took a first and important step to rebuilding the American Dream,’ said SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger on Thursday as Senators from both parties worked together to reauthorise the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
‘Leaders of both parties worked hard to craft this bipartisan bill.
‘It delivers peace of mind for more hard-working parents that the health of their kids will not keep them from affording to put a roof over their family’s head.
‘We applaud the Senate for strengthening the children’s health insurance programme and ensuring no child must wait for care.
‘Congress’ job is just beginning.
‘We urge Congress to include key health care provisions in its economic recovery package.
‘Let these measures be the start of a broader effort to finally fix our broken health care system.’
SEIU, the nation’s largest union of health care workers, is helping its two million members and community leaders contact their members of Congress.
The union said: ‘Congress cannot stop now, they must move forward on delivering help and hope to working Americans and local communities.
‘Only by building a new economy and health care system can we build a new American Dream.’
SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger on Wednesday night issued the following statement on the US House of Representatives passage of the economic recovery plan:
‘Last week, Americans across the country stood on the National Mall in the freezing cold to support a new president who would do whatever it takes to help the millions of people losing their jobs, including reaching out to House Republicans yesterday in an unprecedented way.
‘Unfortunately, House Republicans won’t return the favour.
‘Their only solution to our economic crisis is tax cuts, but tax cuts only work for people who are working.
‘People who have lost their jobs and watched their futures go up in smoke don’t want more hot air . . . they want action and got it today from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
‘As this legislation now moves to the Senate, we support a balanced proposal that includes tax relief for working people and investments in jobs, education, healthcare, roads and bridges.
It’s time that House Republicans admitted once and for all that tax cuts alone can’t solve the crisis facing people who are losing their jobs, their healthcare, and their homes every day.’
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) International President Gerald W. McEntee also issued a statement on the House Vote ‘on President Obama’s Plan to revitalise our economy’.
It said: ‘As we face the greatest fiscal crisis since the Great Depression, the House has acted boldly to protect jobs and create opportunity.
‘With 11 million workers unemployed, with home values declining at an alarming rate and the need for vital public services growing rapidly, it is shocking that no Republicans were willing to put partisanship behind them and stand with President Obama.
‘In the days ahead, thousands of AFSCME members will contact their senators, urging them to act responsibly and support President Obama’s plan to put people to work and get our economy back on track.’
Meanwhile in Canada, public sector union CUPE has slammed the federal budget.
CUPE said on Wednesday: ‘Faced with losing power, the Harper government is showcasing dozens of new measures to address the economic crisis.
‘But today’s federal budget still falls short of what is needed to revive the economy, create jobs and protect struggling Canadians.’
CUPE National President Paul Moist said: ‘The budget smacks of short-term political opportunism instead of long-term solutions.
‘Many of these measures have a shelf-life of only two years. What happens to people after that?
‘The budget must be substantially amended if the government is really concerned about providing relief to the people who need it most.’
CUPE is calling on opposition leaders to reject the budget unless amendments are made.
It stressed: ‘The current budget fails to include any serious measures to provide relief for the hundreds of thousands who are expected to become jobless over the next few years.
‘The budget also needs to address essential social needs such as health care, pensions, child care, and a comprehensive anti-poverty plan.
‘Ignoring the advice of the country’s top economists, the government is forging ahead with broad-based personal income tax cuts equal to $2 billion per year.’
Moist added: ‘This kind of irresponsible investment of public revenues drives home Mr Harper’s incompetence as an economic manager.
‘It doesn’t make sense to give the middle class another tax break, while 60 per cent of Canada’s unemployed can’t collect employment insurance.’
CUPE warned: ‘Hidden, but still included in this budget are the cuts to transfers, controls on programme spending, weakening pay equity for federal employees and the privatisation plans announced in Harper’s disastrous November economic and fiscal update.
‘This includes limiting growth of transfers under the equalisation programme and selling off over $10 billion in federal public assets over the next five years.
‘While the government has increased training opportunities for laid-off workers, the majority of Canada’s unemployed remain shut out of the budget.’
‘The training and support funding listed in the budget is only one part of the drastic EI reform this country needs,’ said Moist.
‘What kind of unemployment relief overlooks more than half of Canada’s unemployed?’
The union added: ‘The budget does nothing to expand the country’s low eligibility rate, even though working Canadians have paid into an EI programme that now sits at a $54 billion dollar surplus.
‘Relief for those depending on pensions is almost non-existent in the budget.’
Moist concluded: ‘If we don’t expand public pensions and reduce reliance on financial markets for retirement security, the end result is fairly straightforward: thousands of Canadians will face poverty in retirement.
‘The government needs to take action. We need an immediate increase in Old Age Security, and a commitment to increasing benefit levels under CPP/QPP.
‘The budget fails at what should be the number one priority: protecting vulnerable Canadians.’
