CWA 1180 - Political Action

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Creating the Task Force on Middle-Class Working Families
The White House
January 30, 2009

Thank you all for joining us today. It is a privilege to be among this diverse group representing labor unions, non-profit organizations, and advocates for our business community. And I am pleased to be here with our Vice President, Joe Biden.

Today we learned that our economy shrank in the last three months of 2008 by 3.8 percent – the worst contraction in close to three decades. This isn’t just an economic concept; this is a continuing disaster for America’s working families. As worrying as these numbers are, it’s what they mean for the American people that’s so alarming: families making fewer purchases, businesses making fewer investments, employers sustaining fewer jobs.

The recession is deepening and the urgency of our economic crisis is growing. Yesterday, we reached a new threshold: the highest number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits on record. Every day it seems there is another round of layoffs – another round of jobs lost and families’ lives turned upside down. We lost 2.6 million jobs last year. And another 2.8 million people who need and want full-time work had to settle for part-time employment.

This is a difficult moment. But I believe, if we act boldly and swiftly, it can be an American moment – when we work through our differences and overcome our divisions to face this crisis. While our GDP may have grown smaller, what is undiminished is our innovative spirit, our work ethic, our values, and our resolve and resilience as Americans.

For two years, I traveled across this country. I met thousands of people – hardworking, middle class Americans – who shared with me their hopes and their hardships. These are the men and women who form the backbone of our economy, the most productive workers in the world – they do the jobs, build the products, and provide the services that drive America’s prosperity.

And these are the folks who approached me on the campaign trail, in union halls and church basements, coffee shops and shop floors. Who told me about jobs lost and homes foreclosed. Hours cut and benefits slashed. The costs of life slowly chipping away at the hopes of affording college or a new home or retirement – like the American Dream in reverse. These are the families who have, by no fault of their own, been hit hardest as the economy has worsened.

They need us to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment plan – a plan that will save or create more than three million jobs over the next few years and make investments that will serve our economy in the years to come.

We'll double our capacity to generate renewable energy while redoubling our efforts to use energy more efficiently. We'll rebuild crumbling roads, retrofit aging transit systems, and renovate 10,000 schools for our children. And we'll bring the health care system into the 21st century by computerizing medical records, saving countless lives and billions of dollars.

I am pleased that the House has acted with urgency in passing this plan, and I hope that we can strengthen it further in the Senate. But what we cannot do is drag our feet or delay too much longer. The American people expect us to act, and that’s exactly what I intend to do as President.

But passing my plan is not the end but the beginning of what we must do. We know need to create jobs. But not just any jobs. We need to create jobs that sustain families and sustain dreams. Jobs in new and growing industries. Jobs that don't feel like a dead end but a way forward – and a way up. Jobs that will foster a vibrant and growing middle class. Because the strength of our economy can be measured by the strength of our middle class.

That is why I have created the Task Force on Middle-Class Working Families – and why I have asked my Vice President to lead it. There is no one who brings to bear the same combination of personal experience and substantive expertise. Joe has come a long way, and achieved a great deal, but he has never forgotten his roots as a working class kid from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He’s lived the American Dream, and lived and worked to make that Dream a reality for others.

This task force will bring together my economic advisors and members of my cabinet to focus on the policies that will really benefit middle class families. Policies to create jobs that pay well and provide a chance to save. To create jobs in growing fields and train workers to fill them. To ensure that workplaces are safe and fair – as well as flexible for employees juggling the demands of work and family.

At the same time, I believe we need to reverse many of the policies toward organized labor we’ve seen these last eight years, policies with which I have sharply disagreed. I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem; to me, and to my administration, labor unions are a big part of the solution. We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests.

Because we know that you cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement. And we know that strong, vibrant, and growing unions can exist side by side with strong, vibrant, and growing businesses. This is not an either-or proposition between the interests of workers and the interests of shareholders. The American economy is not – and has never been – a zero-sum game.

Finally, I will be signing three executive orders designed to ensure that federal contracts serve the taxpayers efficiently and effectively.

One of these orders will prevent taxpayer dollars from going to reimburse federal contractors who spend money trying to influence the formation of unions.

We will also require that federal contractors inform their employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act. Federal labor laws encourage collective bargaining, and employees should know their rights to avoid disruption of federal contracts.

And I am issuing an order so that qualified employees will be able to keep their jobs even when a contract changes hands. We shouldn’t deprive the government of these workers who have so much experience in making government work.

We need to keep our energy focused and our eyes fixed on the real measure of our prosperity: the success of the folks Joe and I have met across this country who are working hard every day. And I am eager to see this task force in action and to discuss with Joe its findings.

Thank you. Now I’d like to introduce Vice President Biden.

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