AFL-­‐CIO  SOTU  Wish  List  By  Craig  Leedham  January  26,  2014    As  America  gears  up  for  President  Obama’s  State  of  the  Union  Address,  Jackie  Torta  of  the  AFL-­‐CIO  reflected  on  the  sad  truth  of  our  current  status  as  a  nation.  The  country  is  rife  with  increasing  inequality–low  wages  and  lack  of  opportunity  for  the  poor,  a  shrinking  middle  class,  and  top  one  percent  getting  richer  and  richer.  Torta  compiled  a  wish  list  of  things  the  AFL-­‐CIO  would  like  to  hear  from  the  speech  that  would  help  get  us  back  on  the  right  track.    1.  In  2014,  the  government  will  raise  the  minimum  wage.  Ninety  percent  of  workers  in  the  US  are  working  harder  than  ever,  only  to  have  seen  their  wages  drop  in  recent  years.  In  the  last  13  years,  the  median  household  income  has  fallen  from  $64,000  to  $55,640.  Meanwhile  the  top  one  percent  have  seen  their  salaries  skyrocket  upwards.  The  Obama  administration  should  demand  that  congress  raise  the  minimum  wage  to  $10.10/hr.  Additionally,  Obama  should  take  on  wage  theft  and  strengthen  retirement  security  programs  like  Social  Security,  Medicare,  and  Medicaid.    2.  In  2014,  the  government  will  invest  in  our  infrastructure.  The  latest  report  card  issued  by  US  engineers  gave  our  nation’s  infrastructure  a  D+.  Our  roads,  bridges,  and  schools  are  deteriorating  and  we’ve  got  plenty  of  laborers  ready  and  willing  to  start  the  reconstruction.  Obama  should  invest  funds  in  order  to  not  only  boost  our  construction  and  manufacturing  industries,  but  also  get  us  started  on  implementing  a  high-­‐speed  rail  system.    3.  In  2014,  the  government  will  tackle  the  immigration  problem.  Because  of  the  broken  immigration  system  in  this  country,  countless  families  and  communities  are  torn  apart  every  single  day  as  over  a  thousand  Americans  are  deported.  President  Obama  should  promise  to  put  an  end  to  the  deportation  crisis  terrorizing  11,000,000  immigrant  Americans  and  urge  Congress  to  enact  comprehensive  immigration  reform  which  incorporates    a  road  map  to  citizenship.    4.  In  2014,  the  government  will  restore  unions’  right  to  organize.  

One  of  the  best  ways  to  create  a  thriving  middle  class  is  to  ensure  the  right  of  employees  to  assemble  and  bargain  collectively  to  improve  wages  and  conditions.  Employers  who  illegally  prevent  workers  from  organizing  need  to  be  stopped.    5.  In  2014,  the  government  will  bring  back  emergency  unemployment  benefits.  Republicans  in  Congress  have  stopped  1.3  million  out-­‐of-­‐work  individuals  from  receiving  emergency  unemployment  benefits,  benefits  that  keep  families  above  water  when  a  crisis  hits.  Obama  must  highlight  the  importance  of  protecting  these  workers  and  their  families.      Craig  Leedham  currently  resides  in  San  Diego,  CA.  His  professional  career  spans  work  in  academic  research  and  sociology,  as  well  as  professional  experience  in  applied  research  and  organized  labor.  Leedham  co-­‐authored  three  editions  of  a  leading  undergraduate  textbook  in  sociology,  as  well  as  applying  his  academic  interests  in  social  movements  and  social  research  in  a  number  of  professional  contexts  that  include  work  with  state  government  in  Washington,  two  research  universities  (Colorado  State  University  and  Arizona  State  University),  and  numerous  education  labor  associations.