chicago

Responding to the continuing massive jobs deficit, Chicago Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky proposed to create 2 million jobs, introducing the "Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act."  Surrounded by Chicago JwJ coalition leaders and other groups, Schakowsky declared:

“Unlike the long disproven claims that more tax breaks for wealthy corporations will lead to more employment, I have a bill that will actually work.  How can we guarantee this bill will get 2 million people back to work?  By hiring them!”

The proposal, which could be more than paid for by taxing millionaires or financial speculation, establishes:

1)      School Improvement Corps – Creates 400,000 construction and 250,000 maintenance jobs through new funding to public school districts for needed school rehabilitation improvements ($100 billion)

On November 18th, a group of students from University of Illinois-Chicago and University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign gathered at the Board of Trustees meeting in Chicago to voice their concern with the rapidly growing cost of tuition.  After being denied a one-on-one meeting, a student stood up at the end of the Board of Trustees meeting and yelled, “Our concerns haven’t been addressed!”  As other students started to chant “Tuition freeze now!” security guards rushed towards the bandanna-covered students to quiet them down.  As the students refused to budge, the security guards got physical—pushing a student outside.

All over the nation, students are being denied an education because they can’t afford tuition costs.  Student debt has surpassed all other forms of debt, but the Pell Grant will be underfunded by $5.5 billion in the coming year—denying hundreds of thousands of students a right to an education.  As Pell Grants are targeted towards students from low-income families, underfunding is another way to discriminate against students.

Earlier today, members of the Chicago Jobs with Justice Unemployed Workers' Council and allies paid a visit to Representative (and Illinois Senate candidate) Mark Kirk's office in Northbrook, Illinois to protest his opposition to extending unemployment benefits.

Jorge Ramirez, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor, spoke to Rep. Kirk's staff, "that's the primary reason why a lot of these folks are here.  They're unemployed, their unemployment benefits are getting cut off... he needs to know that the votes he makes in Washington are directly accountable to the people you see in this room."

The House has already voted to extend unemployment benefits (without Rep. Kirk's support), but it has yet to pass the Senate.  A Senate vote is expected Tuesday.

Story by Adam Doster.  Originally published on Progress Illinois.

As the U.S. Senate prepares to take up a comprehensive bill to extend the deadline for unemployment benefits through the end of the year, anti-hunger and labor advocates in Chicago want lawmakers to remember just how intensely people are struggling here in the Midwest.

Photo / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

On October 27th, more than 400 JwJ activists came from Detroit, Buffalo, Columbus, Indiana, DC, Chicago, and across Illinois to join the 5,000+ protestors at the American Bankers Association meeting in Chicago. Our delegation included workers, union members, students, and working people who are tired of watching Wall Street get in the way of meaningful reform on issues like Healthcare and financial reform. (Our coalitions in several other cities, including Orlando, FL and South Bend, IN, held solidarity actions.) 

Looking to get fired up before heading to the Showdown in Chicago, October 27?  Here are a few reasons we’re looking forward to facing the American Bankers Association meeting in person next week. 

1. Highest unemployment in 26 years.
2. Three million foreclosures expected this year alone
3.  The “Bailout bandit” bankers are fighting to block a recovery for the rest of us.

After driving their companies and the entire economy into the ground, Wall Street took bailouts that add up to $15,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.  They claimed they were ‘too big to fail.’