Boston Workers to March and Rally Against a Jobless Recovery
The Massachusetts jobless rate is now at 9.1 percent and rising. Workers are increasingly frustrated by the mentality of "corporate greed" that has taken over their employers and the failure of our politicians and policy makers to address the growing jobs crisis.
With the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the Greater Boston Labor Council, Jobs with Justice and the support of over 75 union and community co-sponsors, thousands of workers will march and rally on Thursday, October 1, 2009 demanding that corporations be held accountable for the good jobs our communities need.
For example, profitable companies like Verizon and Hyatt are using the current recession as an excuse to cut jobs. Universities like Harvard with fat endowments and hospitals like Boston Medical Center are making cuts while paying their CEOs millions. Banks are stalling loans on important construction projects. Because corporations don't pay their fair share in taxes, state and local governments are slashing critical public services and eliminating jobs -- just when we should be expanding them.
October 1 is the one-year anniversary of the Bush administration's bail out of the banks and insurance companies. The government gave these companies hundreds of billions of dollars with little or no accountability.
"Working families have been hit the hardest by this recession -- building trades, health care workers, manufacturing workers and public employees," said Robert Haynes, President of Massachusetts AFL-CIO. "Despite signs that the economy is improving, everyone knows it's a 'jobless recovery.' The official numbers don't reflect reality or the impact on workers. The number of people who have stopped looking for work or are underemployed, is as high as those without work. We need jobs now."
"Far too many profitable companies like Verizon and Hyatt are exploiting the recession to cut their headcount and further boost profits," said Richard Rogers, head of the Greater Boston Labor Council. "It is absolutely unconscionable."
"Taxpayers poured billions of dollars into banks that were "too big to fail," said Alexandra Pineros-Shields, board member of Jobs with Justice. "Then the banks gave outrageous bonuses, foreclosed on people's homes, gouged consumers and spent millions to lobby against new laws that would hold them more accountable. Where are the jobs for working people?"
The march will kick off on the Boston Common at 4:00 PM and proceed to stops at the Hyatt Hotel, the Bank of America and Verizon's Franklin Street headquarters. Everyone will end up at the Federal Reserve Bank for a short rally at about 5:30 PM.
