December 15, 2009, Washington, D.C. – The newly formed Jobs for America Now Coalition will hold a telephone press conference at 1 p.m. Wednesday to announce a nationwide campaign to put America back to work.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2009
Contact:
David Elliot 202-607-7036
Call-in number: 1-877-941-2936
Passcode: 138424
When: Wednesday, December 16 at 1pm
Moderator: Alan Charney, USAction and interim campaign manager
Speakers include:
Deepak Bhargava, Center for Community Change
Anna Burger, Change to Win
Nancy Duff Campbell, National Women’s Law Center (to be confirmed)
Ben Jealous, NAACP
Thea Lee, AFL-CIO
Larry Mishel, Economic Policy Institute
Janet Murguia, National Council of La Raza
On Nov. 17, the leaders of the AFL-CIO, Center for Community Change, Economic Policy Institute, Leadership Conference for Civil Rights, NAACP and National Council of La Raza issued an urgent call for legislation to address the jobs crisis in the U.S.
Since then, the coalition has expanded to include more than 50 national groups and nearly 100 local and state organizations. The coalition supports a five-point jobs plan that would:
Provide relief through continued and expanded unemployment benefits, COBRA and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
Extend substantial fiscal relief to state and local governments.
Create jobs that put people to work helping communities meet pressing needs, including in distressed communities that face severe unemployment.
Invest in infrastructure improvements in schools, transportation and energy efficiency, thus providing jobs in the short run and productivity enhancements in the longer run.
Spur private-sector job growth through innovative incentives and providing credit to small and medium-sized businesses.