Sep 30

Past Event

Addressing the Jobs Crisis

Event Materials

Video

Highlights

  • Middle Class Is on Life Support

    Richard Trumka, President, AFL-CIO: The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is on life support.

  • We Need To Summon Will To Tackle Jobs Crisis

    Richard Trumka, President, AFL-CIO: We know how to tackle the jobs crisis, it’ll take a combination of programs and policies to put Americans back to work.

  • Create Jobs, Not Austerity

    Richard Trumka, President, AFL-CIO: Our most pressing challenge is creating and preserving jobs; there’s no place for austerity right now.

  • Current Trade Policy Costs Americans Jobs

    Richard Trumka, President, AFL-CIO: We’re borrowing money to buy goods that we used to make. This imbalance is costing millions of Americans their jobs.

Audio

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Summary

On September 30, Brookings hosted AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka for a conversation on what is needed to end the jobs crisis and rebuild the U.S. economy for the 21st century. Trumka discussed how a range of proposals now before Congress—including investing in infrastructure, clean energy and manufacturing, extending unemployment benefits and providing aid to state and local governments—can spur immediate job creation and sustained economic growth into the future.

Watch a full video archive of this event via C-SPAN here.

Richard Trumka was elected president of the AFL-CIO in 2009, after serving as the AFL-CIO’s secretary-treasurer for 15 years. The AFL-CIO is the nation’s largest labor federation, representing 12.2 million members across the country.

Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution, provided introductory remarks. After the program, Richard Trumka took audience questions. Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings, moderated the discussion.

Details

September 30, 2011

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

The Brookings Institution

Falk Auditorium

1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW

Map

For More Information

Brookings Office of Communications

(202) 797-6105

Event Agenda

  • Welcome

    • Portrait: Strobe Talbott

      Strobe Talbott

      President, The Brookings Institution

      Arms Control Initiative

  • Featured Speaker

    • Richard L. Trumka

      President

      AFL-CIO

  • Moderator

    • Portrait: Darrell West

      Darrell M. West

      Vice President and Director

      Governance Studies