Eric Cantor

Cantor's JOBS Act Drives Wedge Between Obama, Labor

Sahil Kapur | April 13, 2012, 5:00AM

A new small-business law spearheaded by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is harming relations between the White House and its labor allies. Unions objected strongly before the legislation was enacted, and several weeks later, they're continuing to air grievances.

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, which passed with broad bipartisan support earlier this year, loosens regulations on small-business capital formation. Proponents on Capitol Hill say it will encourage entrepreneurship while a growing number of critics, including worker advocates, worry that it incentivizes fraud and will diminish the government's ability to police bad business practices.

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Super Committee

AFL Warns Super Committee Dems: Not One Vote For GOP Plans

Brian Beutler | November 18, 2011, 9:20AM

'Super Committee' members Sen. Patt Murray (D-WA) and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), September 7, 2011.

So far Democrats and Republicans on the Super Committee have acted as voting blocs. And smart money is on the idea that any plan that can pass the committee will get substantial buy-in from both parties.

But for progressive groups there's a Doomsday Scenario where one deal-hungry Democrat defies his colleagues and votes with the entire GOP to pass a plan. The AFL-CIO is petitioning Dems to prevent that from happening.

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Richard Trumka

After Rocky Period, AFL-CIO Backs Obama's Jobs Plan

Susan Crabtree | September 9, 2011, 10:59AM

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka hasn't been shy in recent weeks about speaking out against President Obama's willingness to compromise with Republicans on everything from the super committee to the so-called Gang of Six's approach to deficit reduction, but last night he seemed elated over Obama's jobs plan and his pledge to "go to the mat" for workers.

"The President took an important and necessary step tonight: he started a serious national conversation about how to solve our jobs crisis," Trumka said in a lengthy statement. "He showed working people that he is willing to go to the mat to create new jobs on a substantial scale. Tonight's speech should energize the nation to come together, work hard and get serious about jobs."

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AFL-CIO

Trumka To Dems: Walk Away From Bad Super Committee Deal

Brian Beutler | August 25, 2011, 11:30AM

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Democrats should be prepared to walk away from a bad deficit deal even if the consequence is a far-reaching penalty that would likely cost a huge number of jobs.

"They shouldn't agree to anything that's a bad deal," Trumka told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast roundtable. He warned Democrats against voting for any Super Committee plan that cuts Social Security and lets wealthy Americans off the hook by not raising their taxes. But voting no comes with consequences. If the committee gridlocks or passes a plan that fails in Congress, it will trigger $1.2 trillion in spending cuts split evenly between defense and domestic programs.

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Barack Obama

AFL-CIO Pres: Obama Aligned Himself With Tea Party To Cut Middle Class Programs

Brian Beutler | August 25, 2011, 10:59AM

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

The most powerful union official in the country offered reporters his harshest critique of President Obama to date Thursday, questioning Obama's policy and strategic decisions, and claiming he aligned himself with the Tea Party in the debt limit fight.

"This is a moment that working people and quite frankly history will judge President Obama on his presidency; will he commit all his energy and focus on bold solutions on the job crisis or will he continue to work with the Tea Party to offer cuts to middle class programs like Social Security all the while pretending the deficit is where our economic problems really lie," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told reporters at a breakfast roundtable hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.

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AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO Slams 'Gang of Six' Proposal For 'Goring' The Poor

Susan Crabtree | July 20, 2011, 3:09PM

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka doesn't share President Obama's enthusiasm for the so-called balanced approach to deficit reduction set forth in the much ballyhooed bipartisan 'Gang of Six' proposal. In fact, he's dead-set against it.

Despite all the talk of tough choices and shared sacrifice and taking on sacred cows during difficult economic times, Trumka says the Gang of Six proposal appears to balance the budget on the backs of middle-class workers and the poor.

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AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO Prez Warns Dems: Don't Take Labor's Love For Granted

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 20, 2011, 4:23PM

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

Watch out, Democrats, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said on Friday. Your buddies in organized labor are looking to expand the friendship circle.

Trumka's speech at the National Press Club, billed as a major address by the union, recast the union's connection to politics as a year-round, national affair -- rather than the election-focused, battleground state strategy of the past. Trumka warned Democrats that labor would not always be at their side, suggesting more of the primary battles like the unsuccessful one that labor backed against former Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) last year.

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Indiana

Labor Leader Declares Unlikely Victory In Indiana

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 4, 2011, 6:11PM

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, has declared the five week shutdown of the Indiana legislature -- led by Democrats upset with Republican-led right-to-work laws and Gov. Mitch Daniels' (R) agenda -- to be an unqualified success.

Trumka told TPM at a roundtable with reporters that despite the hardships he said were faced by union workers, labor supporters and Democrats in general in Indiana, progressive-leaning politicians in the Hoosier state were able to pull off the upset win.

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Bush Tax Cuts

AFL-CIO: Compromise On Bush Tax Cuts For The Wealthy Is 'Insane'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 12, 2010, 3:41PM

Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is standing with Speaker Nancy Peolosi and other progressives urging Democrats not to compromise and extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest earners in the upcoming lame duck session.

"It is absolutely insane that in these tough economic times some people want to continue George W. Bush's tax giveaways to millionaires," Trumka said in a statement. "Speaker Pelosi is exactly right that there should not be a so-called compromise on this issue."

Trumka's declaration sets up the battle lines on the tax cut fight. On the side of extending all the cuts for everyone no matter what are House Republican leaders like Eric Cantor and the party's allies in the tea party and business communities. On the side of eliminating the cuts on the wealthiest Americans no matter what are Pelosi and the progressive movement's traditional allies in labor and the netroots activist community.

In the middle, it seems, is President Obama, who is continuing to suggest compromise is possible even as both sides dig in.

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DISCLOSE Act

Trumka: DISCLOSE Act Would Be Better For Electoral System

Brian Beutler | October 12, 2010, 12:30PM

Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO

In the wake of a flood of independent expenditure ads attacking Democratic candidates around the country -- and a series of recent stories suggesting that the Chamber of Commerce may be financing its political activities with foreign money -- AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka now says the country would be better off if the DISCLOSE Act had become law.

A partial reversal from his previous position, Trumka today admitted that the DISCLOSE Act -- which the AFL opposed, and which failed in the Senate because of a GOP filibuster -- would be an improvement over the status quo.

"That'd be good for the system, I think," Trumka said at a breakfast meeting with reporters, in response to a question from TPM. "Because the system is awash -- there's more money in the system than there was oil in the Gulf, quite frankly. It's from people that you don't know. You eventually find out I guess, but it's this mysterious money coming in and targeting at three, four, five times what either of the candidates are doing."

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AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO: 75 House Dem Seats In Play In November

Brian Beutler | October 12, 2010, 10:54AM

Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President

Internal numbers from largest union federation in the country paint a startling picture for Democrats this fall, with nearly 80 Democratic seats in play -- in a year when the GOP would only need 39 net pickups to retake the House. The upshot for Democrats is that almost half of those seats are in districts with high union density, prompting the labor movement to invest in a ground game rivaling the one they mounted in 2008.

At a breakfast meeting with five reporters this morning, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka claimed that the labor movement could make the difference, at the margins, between a Republican return to power on Capitol Hill and the continuing reign of the Democratic party. The hope, in his words, is to create a "firewall" to keep the GOP from retaking the House. His argument is based on AFL's generic congressional ballot, which you can view here.

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2010 elections

Trumka To Unions: Too Much At Stake To Let Frustration Keep You From Polls

Christina Bellantoni | August 3, 2010, 9:09AM

Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka implored state and local labor leaders and political organizers this morning to fight harder than ever in the fall elections, pleading with them to think about progress that's been made under President Obama and to "keep going."

Trumka, who has not shied away from criticizing Obama, got specific with his pitch. He said the nation can't afford to have Senators like Republican candidates Sharron Angle (NV) and Rand Paul (KY), or to have a Speaker John Boehner if Democrats lose control of Congress. He also criticized the Democrats who haven't been supportive of the labor movement.

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AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO Withholds Support From Holden In Primary Over Health Care Vote

Brian Beutler | April 1, 2010, 9:02AM

Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA)

House Democrats who weren't there for the party on the final health care vote are starting to see the consequences. Despite long enjoying the support of organized labor, Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA) will not be receiving an endorsement from the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO in his primary campaign against challenger Sheila Dow Ford.

"He's been good to us on a number of bread-and-butter issues, but this was a revolutionary, historical vote," Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Bill George told the Republican Herald in an interview yesterday. And that means they'll be withholding their vigorous door-to-door campaign.

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Health Care

Against It: A Look At The 34 Dems Who Voted No On Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | March 22, 2010, 9:50AM

Clockwise: Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY), Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL), Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA)

The 34 Democrats who voted against health care reform last night are by and large a familiar set. They overlap significantly--though not entirely--with the 39 Democrats who voted against the House health care bill in November. Just as in November, most hail from contested districts, in the south and the midwest. But just as in November, there are some surprises--members you wouldn't normally expect to see voting against legislation so closely associated with the Democratic party.

Most of the Democratic "no" votes are as you would expect: conservative members from conservative districts, in many cases facing difficult re-election challenges. Blue Dog chair Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) is one such member. So is Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA).

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Health Care

Trumka: AFL Will Look Closely At Lynch's Health Care Vote When It's Time To Make Endorsements

Brian Beutler | March 21, 2010, 6:28PM

AFL-CIO Sec. Treasurer Richard Trumka

Earlier this evening, outside the House chamber, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) told AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka that he will oppose the health care bill tonight, despite direct pressure from Trumka that he vote for it. Trumka told me in an interview just afterwards that the vote won't be forgotten.

"I told him how important the bill was," Trumka said. "I started off by saying, 'you agree with me that the status quo is unacceptable.' Everybody has to agree with that because this system is broken."

In response, Lynch told Trumka he won't be changing his mind. "He said he was not going to vote for the bill," Trumka said. That may come back to haunt him, according to Trumka.

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Health Care

AFL-CIO Officially Endorses Health Care Bill

Rachel Slajda | March 18, 2010, 5:17PM

Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President

Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, has announced that the union is officially endorsing the health care legislation released today.

The AFL-CIO is "putting all we have into this landmark legislation, and it will pass," Trumka said during an afternoon conference call. The call came after the executive council voted to endorse the legislation, with a nearly unanimous vote, Trumka said.

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Health Care

Trumka To TPMDC: 'I'm Happy' With Final Health Care Bill

Christina Bellantoni | March 18, 2010, 12:20PM

Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in an interview this morning that union groups view the health care bill as "a good first step."

He did not directly address a question about reports of changes to the excise tax that unions were uncomfortable with early in the negotiations, but lauded the final product and said it can be improved upon.

He said the union talks with people writing the final bill have yielded positive changes, even if it's not everything they initially wanted. "I'm happy about what we've been able to do to change the funding," Trumka told TPMDC in a brief interview in the White House Rose Garden after President Obama signed the jobs bill.

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AFL-CIO

Trumka To Dems: 2010 Is On The Line If We Don't Like Your Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | January 11, 2010, 2:51PM

AFL-CIO Sec. Treasurer Richard Trumka

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka wouldn't go so far as to say he'd oppose a health care bill that doesn't meet his goals this afternoon. But he did warn that members of Congress could suffer serious blowback at the polls this November if workers aren't pleased with the final health care bill.

"We said we have three issues: the public option, how it's funded, and the employer mandate," Trumka told reporters today. "We're still fighting on all three of those issues."

Asked whether workers would stay at home in November if the health care bill doesn't accomplish those goals, Trumka was blunt.

"I think there's that chance," he said. "I think the American public, and workers are out there and they're looking for a couple things right now. Health care is an important issue to them. Jobs are an important issue. I think those people that don't show a sense of urgency about both of them, I think they're going to face the scorn of workers at the polls."

Richard Trumka

Trumka Predicts EFCA Passage In First Quarter Of 2010

Brian Beutler | January 11, 2010, 2:17PM

Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO

Speaking at the National Press Club this afternoon, AFL-CIO president, Richard Trumka made a bold prediction: The Employee Free Choice Act--the flagship legislation of the labor movement--will pass in the first quarter of 2010.

"I think you'll see the Employee Free Choice Act pass in the first quarter of 2010," Trumka said. "You'll have it have some real effect. We'll start creating and making new jobs in this country again."

That will probably come as news to a lot of Democrats who are looking to make a quick pivot from health care to a jobs bill. Unless EFCA was attached to a bigger jobs package...

Richard Trumka

Trumka Blames The Senate, Republicans And Some Democrats For Controversial Health Care Tax

Brian Beutler | January 11, 2010, 1:00PM

Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President

Speaking at the National Press Club this afternoon, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka blasted a controversial provision in the Senate health care bill, which would impose a stiff tax on high-end health care plans--a penalty that would impact many middle class workers and union members. From the prepared remarks: "[T]hanks to the Senate rules, the appalling irresponsibility of the Senate Republicans and the power of the wealthy among some Democrats, the Senate bill instead drives a wedge between the middle class and the poor."

The bill rightly seeks to ensure that most Americans have health insurance. But instead of taxing the rich, the Senate bill taxes the middle class by taxing workers' health plans--not just union members' health care; most of the 31 million insured employees who would be hit by the excise tax are not union members.

The tax on benefits in the Senate bill pits working Americans who need health care for their families against working Americans struggling to keep health care for their families. This is a policy designed to benefit elites--in this case, insurers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and irresponsible employers, at the expense of the broader public. It's the same tragic pattern that got us where we are today, and I can assure you the labor movement is fighting with everything we've got to win health care reform that is worthy of the support of working men and women.

Complicating things for labor is the fact that President Obama supports the excise tax. Neverthless,Trumka will no doubt be making this argument to Obama himself this afternoon at a White House gathering of labor officials.

You can read the complete transcript of Trumka's remarks below.

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