US Unions: Obama 100 days

AFL-CIO

It's remarkable! In just 100 days, President Obama and Vice President Biden, with your help, have laid down a foundation of change for America's working families.

Obama has taken major steps on the economy, health care and the protection of workers' rights that will lead to a more prosperous and fair future for working people and America.  And he has dealt simultaneously with international crises and begun to reset the opinion about our country around the world.

Given the perilous state of the economy and the world, there remains much to be done. But today is a time for a brief reflection on what the Obama administration has accomplished and what lies ahead.

For starters, President Obama has shown his commitment to strengthening the middle class and making the economy work for working families by:

    * Signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to ensure that women earn equal pay for equal work;

    * Working with Congress to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program to cover an additional 4 million children;

    * Creating the Task Force on Middle Class Working Families, so workers have a direct input into policymaking;

    * Appointing Hilda Solis, a champion for workers, as secretary of labor; and

    * Protecting America's workers by rescinding some of the most damaging anti-worker executive orders put in place by former President George W. Bush. 

More broadly, with the Economic Recovery Act and the budget, the Obama administration, together with Congress, is rebuilding our economy by:

    * Investing in the rebuilding of our infrastructure and creating good jobs;

    * Providing aid to state and local governments, so they can avoid layoffs and continue to provide essential services;

    * Funding the development of "green technologies" that will create good-paying jobs while protecting our environment; and

    * Setting aside resources for real health care and education reform.

The Obama administration focused its first 100 days on putting down an important foundation for change, and many challenges remain. We look forward to helping the administration meet those challenges by passing the Employee Free Choice Act and comprehensive national health care reform so our economy truly works for everyone.