Labor Archives - Democrats of Greater Tucson

Dems Dominate in Pima County with Historic Wins

Now it can be said: Democrats in Pima County clobbered Republicans in the election. It was a historic win for education, diversity, and criminal justice. To wit: Democrats expanded their majority on the Board of Supervisors to 4 to 1. Public education won up and down the ballot. Democrats won 5 out of 6 Pima countywide elected offices. There was a massive Democratic turnout -- 80% of Democrats voted across Pima County, and in some precincts 95%. Voters elected the most diverse group of candidates in Pima County history to fill countywide offices — exemplified top vote-getter Gabriella Cázares-Kelly for [...]

By Larry Bodine|2020-11-15T08:45:19-07:00November 15th, 2020|Education, Elections, Governor, Labor|

Infrastructure Bank Will Create 25 Million Jobs and Rebuild the Country

A coalition of labor leaders and elected local officials is calling for the creation of a $4 trillion National Infrastructure Bank (NIB) to finance infrastructure projects across the country. Based on a successful model that operated from 1932 to 1957, the new bank will make low-interest loans to state and local governments to build affordable housing, mass transit, roads, broadband, water systems, and more. The idea takes a plan from the Democratic National Platform (see p. 17). The independent federal agency will be capitalized with existing U.S. Treasury bonds and will make loans at [...]

By Larry Bodine|2020-08-20T08:14:27-07:00August 19th, 2020|Democratic National Convention, Economics, Environment, Labor|

Report on Today’s Hispanic and Labor Councils at the Democratic Convention

This morning, as a National Delegate, I attended the Hispanic and the Labor Councils on Day One the Democratic National Convention on August 17, 2020. The following are my notes on the best comments by the speakers at the meetings. Hispanic Caucus meeting, 9 am Julian Castro, former HUD Director under Obama The Latino community is in "a state of emergency," because of COVID, said Julian Castro, former HUD director under Obama, speaking at the Labor Caucus meeting. Latinos are essential workers -- in the farm fields, meat packing plans, groceries, fast food places, and the hospitality industry. [...]

By Larry Bodine|2020-08-17T15:10:27-07:00August 17th, 2020|Arizona Politics, Democratic Convention, Economics, Immigration/Refugees, Joe Biden, Labor, President, Tucson|

Build Back Better: Joe Biden’s Jobs and Economic Recovery Plan for Working Families

Joe Biden believes to his core that there’s no greater economic engine in the world than the hard work and ingenuity of the American people. Nobody has more respect for the working women and men who get up every day to build and sustain this country, or more confidence that they can meet the challenges we face. This plan is from https://joebiden.com/build-back-better/ Make no mistake: America has been knocked down. The unemployment rate is higher than it was in the Great Recession. Millions have lost jobs, hours, pay, health care, or the small business they started, through no fault of [...]

By Larry Bodine|2020-07-20T14:57:03-07:00July 20th, 2020|Black Lives Matter, Children & Families, Economics, Elections, Joe Biden, Labor|

Joe Biden: ‘We’re still in a deep, deep job hole because Donald Trump’

Former Vice President Joe Biden slammed President Trump’s celebration of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest jobs report and urged him to stop diminishing the seriousness of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But Biden noted that 15 million Americans still remain out of work amid the crisis and argued “there’s no victory to be celebrated.” “Today’s report is positive news, and I’m thankful for it,” Biden said, “but make no mistake, we’re still in a deep, deep job hole because Donald Trump has so badly bungled the response to coronavirus.” Biden focused his remarks on lower-income Americans – "everyone [...]

By Larry Bodine|2020-07-05T15:57:42-07:00July 5th, 2020|Economics, Joe Biden, Labor|

Vice President Joe Biden on the Latest Unemployment Numbers

Amid the deep anguish and the activism we are seeing across the country as Americans speak out about the violence of systemic racism, this morning brought a reminder of the deep economic hurt being inflicted on our country by this pandemic. More than 42 million Americans have now filed for unemployment in the last three months, and, as with so many burdens in our society, Black and Latino communities are being hit hardest. Last month, 11 percent of white adults report having been laid off or furloughed — a devastating figure in its own right — and the pain is [...]

By Michael Bryan|2020-06-06T16:57:04-07:00June 6th, 2020|Economics, Elections, Labor, President|

Tell Congress: Pass H.R. 6559 and Protect Front-Line Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping throughout the United States. Every day, health care workers, transit workers, meatpacking workers, first responders, grocery workers, utility workers, agricultural workers, waste workers, letter carriers, construction workers, social service workers, doormen, retail workers, factory workers, janitors, correctional officers and other workers are being exposed to coronavirus in U.S. workplaces. Hundreds of thousands have become infected and thousands have died. These are the workers on the front lines of this outbreak, and they deserve to have confidence that the appropriate resources, equipment, training, and protocols are readily available in their workplaces to be protected, as well [...]

By Larry Bodine|2020-04-28T12:57:18-07:00April 28th, 2020|Labor|

Consuelo Hernandez Running for Supervisor of District 5 in Pima County

This article appeared earlier on the Blog for Arizona, https://blogforarizona.net/ The election to succeed the late progressive icon Richard Elias as the next Supervisor of Pima County District Five features candidates from two local political families. Consuelo Hernandez, the sister of State Legislators Alma and Daniel Hernandez is one of them. Ms. Hernandez, a graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Global Health Science, has been an education activist as a member of the Sunnyside School Board. Realizing the importance of local government, she will, if elected as the next Supervisor of Pima County District Five, [...]

By David Gordon|2020-04-27T17:43:08-07:00April 27th, 2020|Economics, Education, Healthcare, Immigration/Refugees, Labor, Local Candidates and Electeds|

Video: AZ Legislature Passes ‘Skinny’ Budget with Bipartisan Coronavirus Plan

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/0QxaaKy3/img_6275_dvd.mp4 Rep. Pam Powers Hannley reports on new legislative action. Reprinted from https://powersforthepeople.net/ With the novel Coronavirus pandemic swirling around the Arizona capital and, most likely, through the halls of the legislature, the Arizona House passed the skinny budget with the Senate-negotiated bipartisan package to address the pandemic in Arizona. The budget includes $50 million to address the Coronavirus. Along with the emergency response funding of $55 million for the Arizona Department of Health Services, which was passed by the Legislature a couple of weeks ago, that makes $105 million, which the Legislature has earmarked for the Coronavirus reponse. The [...]

By Pam Hannley|2020-03-27T12:51:26-07:00March 24th, 2020|Economics, Labor|