Addressing the Jobs Crisis

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.