At this difficult time, I ask you for your thoughts and prayers for the miners and their families, as well as for the families of the three rescue workers who gave their lives trying to save the missing.
I also thank you for being someone who cares enough to take action to improve life for working families—on many fronts.
Last year, after 12 coal miners died in the Sago Mine in West Virginia, you helped convince Congress to pass the first major overhaul to mine safety laws in more than three decades, the MINER Act. Since the Bush administration came into office, it has been systematically dismantling workplace safety protections. But you wouldn't allow corporate greed and Bush administration neglect and indifference to go unchallenged.
That neglect and indifference haven't been isolated to workplace safety. Just look at our economy—workers' paychecks are stagnant while our productivity goes up and up. Just think back to the administration's catastrophic response to Hurricane Katrina, the poor conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the nation's crumbling infrastructure, our health care crisis—many, many people are wondering, "What's wrong with America?"
That neglect and indifference haven't been isolated to workplace safety. Just look at our economy—workers' paychecks are stagnant while our productivity goes up and up. Just think back to the administration's catastrophic response to Hurricane Katrina, the poor conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the nation's crumbling infrastructure, our health care crisis—many, many people are wondering, "What's wrong with America?"
Fortunately, in our democracy, every four years we have a chance to fix what's wrong—by electing leaders, including a president, who put working families first.
We have a very busy time ahead of us, fighting together for health care, good jobs and the freedom to form unions without employer interference—and fighting for a government led by people committed to make America work for working families.
Thank you for all that you've done so far in this fight and for all you will do in the months ahead.
In solidarity,
John Sweeney
President, AFL-CIO
P.S. What do you think the next president should do to make our workplaces safe and healthy? Please share your thoughts on our AFL-CIO Working Families Vote 2008 Forum.
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