The collective hearts of America’s labor movement, particularly transportation unions, are broken by the tragic death of our brother, @TTDAFLCIO President Larry Willis.
Larry brought a love of workers and a deep understanding of transportation issues to his leadership of @TTDAFLCIO. He paid an incredible attention to detail, always looking for opportunities to win more power and prosperity for the working people who move America.
As a lawyer, congressional staff member, policy expert and worker advocate, Larry was respected across the aisle and throughout our movement.
Larry’s passing is a reminder that we cannot take a single day for granted, and the @AFLCIO will honor his memory by fighting for the issues he championed and the people he loved.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Larry’s wife and daughter, along with the entire @TTDAFLCIO family, during this difficult time.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
President-elect Joe Biden has made history by nominating former Federal Reserve Board Chairwoman @JanetYellen to be the first female treasury secretary, moving away from decades of bipartisan Wall Street groupthink.
As Federal Reserve chair, @JanetYellen made critical decisions that prioritized jobs and wages for all working people, including communities of color long ignored by economic policymakers.
During this prolonged pandemic that is crushing working families from coast to coast, working people welcome this proven public servant who will bring a track record of smart, pro-worker policy to the Treasury Department.
.@SenKamalaHarris ‘s dedication to the most critical issues facing working families was on full display tonight. It was a stark contrast to Vice President Pence, who continues to fail miserably as the head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
Harris clearly laid out the plans a Biden administration would take to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and provide relief to working people, while Pence still cannot answer for the lack of a national strategy.
Working people know both vice presidential candidates. Pence has always been an anti-worker poster child, repealing Indiana’s prevailing wage law, supporting “right to work” and making it easier to fire LGBTQ people because of who they are.
To every single working person out there: Your president has given up on you. America’s labor movement never will.
.@realDonaldTrump has ordered everyone to stop negotiations on the #HEROESAct, which would extend unemployment benefits to millions, implement a strong federal workplace infectious disease standard and provide money to states for critical services.
.@realDonaldTrump's ship is sinking. And he wants to take the rest of the country down with him.
My heart is heavy at the events of the past few days. I watched the video of George Floyd pleading for his life under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. No person of conscience can hear Floyd’s cries for help and not understand that something is deeply wrong in America.
What happened to George Floyd, what happened to Ahmaud Arbery, what happened to far too many unarmed people of color has happened for centuries.
The difference is now we have cell phones. It’s there for all of us to see. And we can’t turn our heads and look away because we feel uncomfortable.
Make no mistake, working people and our allies took last week’s corporate grab bag and made substantial improvements. We are thankful to @SenSchumer and @SpeakerPelosi for their intense effort on behalf of working people. #stimulusbill
This deal includes a number of things America’s workers must have immediately, including an expansion of the unemployment insurance program, increased funding for schools, hospitals and state and local governments and relief for the airline industry that protects worker rights.
Given the urgency of the situation, Congress should pass this bill and @realDonaldTrump should sign it today.
However, the package does not address critical aspects of the coronavirus crisis–issues that threaten the lives of working people and the integrity of our democracy.
The U.S.-China Trade Deal Fails to Address Workers’ Rights and Cheating.
There is precious little in this deal that addresses China’s long-standing denial of basic labor rights. #1u
The deal also fails to address the worst aspects of China’s cheating—massive subsidies to its domestic companies and the predatory practices of its state-owned enterprises, which have cost millions of U.S. jobs and gutted our manufacturing base.
And it lacks a mechanism for the US to address the persistent currency misalignment between the dollar and the renminbi.