Topic: Richard Trumka

All Content

AFl-CIO chief Trumka warns Obama on "nibbling around" jobs crisis

Richard Trumka, the president of the US' largest labor group, said President Obama made a "strategic mistake" by linking job creation to deficit reduction. The head of the AFL-CIO told reporters at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor that the coming months would be crucial for President Obama's standing with working Americans.
Labor Day struggle for unions and Obama

Labor Day marks a rough year for President Obama and the labor union movement that had high hopes for him. Unemployment remains high, and unions are under fire from political conservatives.
Under the gun on jobs, Obama tells Congress to pass major transportation bill

As he prepares for his critical speech on jobs, President Obama is urging Congress to fund a major transportation bill. It pays for infrastructure work on roads, bridges, and mass transit systems.
Obama says Congress will kill jobs if highway funds aren't extended

Funding for road projects and the gasoline tax expire on Sept. 30, leaving Congress not much time to act when lawmakers return from vacation. Obama says 1 million jobs are at stake.
Rick Perry’s 'Texas Miracle' is a dismal model, AFL-CIO chief says (VIDEO)

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka suggests that there are deep flaws in the Texas job-creation model touted by Gov. Rick Perry, a GOP presidential candidate.
AFL-CIO chief: History will judge Obama if he 'nibbles' at jobs crisis (video)

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Thursday that if President Obama’s jobs speech after Labor Day consists of 'nibbling around the edge' of the issue, 'history will judge him.'
What's $16.5 million among adversaries? Enough to ground the FAA.

Republicans and Democrats are at it again. A dispute over air service subsidies for 13 rural communities has left the FAA without a funding extension. Thousands of workers are affected.
Weak jobs report ramps up pressure on debt talks

The unemployment numbers also energize a sparring match between the Obama administration and Republicans over who has policies that deserve voter support in 2012.
The Vote
Briefing room word games: What's a 'slash' versus a 'cut' in Social Security?

In the White House briefing room, the meaning of words sometimes hangs on a hand gesture. As in the exchange Thursday with Jay Carney over what could happen to Social Security benefits.
Obama to US companies: Time to hire and invest is now

Obama's speech Monday to US Chamber of Commerce outlined plans to encourage innovation and business investment. But he also urged US companies to get off sidelines and 'invest in America.'
Obama's full-court press to make up with business community

Obama has named economist Gene Sperling as head of the National Economic Council. The president has made other moves to patch up relations with the business community.
Why Obama's latest bid to control national debt might not change anything

Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, co-chairs of President Obama's deficit commission, hope their final report will start an 'adult conversation' about the national debt. But members of Congress might have too much to lose politically to back the report.
Q&A with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

At a September 2 Monitor breakfast, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka discussed the economic outlook, his union members' feelings about President Obama, and his relations with the Sarah Palin.
Vox News
Is Obama focused enough on the unemployment rate?

Both critics and supporters say Obama doesn't appear to voters to be paying enough heed to jobs and the unemployment rate. Some see the problem as his focus, others as his message.
Union leader Trumka's bleak view under a Republican-led House

Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO president, predicts that Democrats will defy conventional wisdom and keep control of the Senate and House in November. But if Republicans take over even just the House, 'any chance of progress will be ended,' says the union leader.
AFL-CIO president to Sarah Palin: Change or be linked with McCarthyism

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka charged that if Republican political star Sarah Palin is not more careful in her choice of words, the political movement she has helped to create will be linked with 1950s McCarthyism.
What's in the financial reform compromise reached by House, Senate

House and Senate conferees crafted a final version of financial reform legislation Friday. Both houses are expected to vote on the bill next week.
How key Democrats voted on health care bill: Pelosi's scorecard

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had the formidable task of persuading 216 Democrats to vote for a Senate health care bill that many did not like. This is how she succeeded – and failed.
How to pay the bill is last major hurdle to healthcare reform

Organized labor pressed Congress and the White House to ease the 'Cadillac tax' on expensive healthcare insurance policies. This means other ways to pay for a healthcare reform bill will have to be considered – including hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry, and Medicare.
Newest hurdle to how to pay for healthcare reform: unions

President Obama meets with union leaders Monday. Unions worry that the Senate healthcare reform bill's 'Cadillac tax' on expensive health-insurance policies could affect its members.
Top four differences of Senate and House healthcare reforms bills

The House and Senate will have a difficult time reconciling their healthcare reform bills on several key issues, including abortion funding and a public option, among others.
Labor chief: Public option 'essential' for healthcare reform
The Vote
Labor targets young workers living at home, strapped for funds