President Obama mentioned in his State of the Union Address that over 1 million jobs were added last year, yet he didn’t mention the 14.5 million unemployed Americans or the 6.5 million Americans that have given up looking for work. How do you think these 21 million underemployed Americans felt when they heard the president say that?
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, appointed by President Obama in 2009, was in attendance smiling and clapping. The apparent underemployment situation seems to be lost on her and the rest of the pro-union contingent in attendance. Solis represented the 32nd Congressional District in CA from 2001-2009 and authored the Green Jobs Act in 2007, which stated that in order to receive federal funding for “green jobs,” organizations must partner with an organized labor union.
Last year, in a statement on the higher wages earned by union workers vs. private sector workers Solis said: “As workers across the country have seen their real and nominal wages decline as a result of the recession, these numbers show a need for Congress to pass legislation to level the playing field to enable more American workers to access the benefits of union membership. This report makes clear why the administration supports the Employee Free Choice Act,” or, card check law making it easier to form a union.
So when the president talks about adding over a million jobs last year, keep in mind exactly which ones he favors.
