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Barack Obama on Jobs

Democratic incumbent President; IL Senator (2004-2008)

 


End federal contracts if employer mistreats employees

Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced legislation to prevent companies that mistreat their employees and repeatedly flout workplace protection laws from receiving taxpayer-funded federal contracts. The new Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Act is based on President Obama's executive order of the same name. While the Obama-era rules were repealed in 2017, Sen. Smith's legislation would restore them.

The bill would require the federal government to consider a company's history of labor law violations in awarding federal contracts to ensure that taxpayer funds don't go to companies that repeatedly violate the law. Companies with problematic records of mistreating their workers would be required to take steps to improve their treatment of workers. The bill would also ensure that workers receive pay stubs and aren't forced to give up their rights to go to court for sexual harassment or sexual assault. Further, the bill would ensure that taxpayer funds aren't used for union-busting activity.

Source: Press release on Senate website smith.senate.gov , Jun 15, 2018

Need retraining programs for workers who lose jobs

Say a hardworking American loses his job -- we shouldn't just make sure that he can get unemployment insurance; we should make sure that program encourages him to retrain for a business that's ready to hire him. If that new job doesn't pay as much, there should be a system of wage insurance in place so that he can still pay his bills. And even if he's going from job to job, he should still be able to save for retirement and take his savings with him.
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress , Jan 20, 2016

Signed Ledbetter Fair Pay Law in first month of presidency

The story of Lilly Ledbetter wasn't over [even after her Supreme Court case]. A bill to undo the Congressional majority's damage to antidiscrimination law died in a Republican Senate in 2008, and Bush had already said he would veto it. The election of Barack Obama changed that. Ten days into his presidency, Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law. RBG put a framed copy of the law on her wall. Her ideal of a dialogue between the branches of government had been made reality.
Source: Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik, p. 140 , Oct 27, 2015

Best employment growth since 1999; the crisis is past

Tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before; more of our people are insured than ever before; we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we've been in almost 30 years.

America, for all that we've endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this: The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.

At this moment--with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production--we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next fifteen years, and for decades to come.

Source: 2015 State of the Union address , Jan 20, 2015

Help families with more paid leave & higher minimum wage

Today, we're the only advanced country on Earth that doesn't guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. And that forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home. So I'll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own. Send me a bill that gives every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave. It's the right thing to do.

Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. That's why this Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work. Really. It's 2015. It's time.

And to everyone in this Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise.

Source: 2015 State of the Union address , Jan 20, 2015

FactCheck: Yes, unemployment down; but many stopped looking

Obama said, "Our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis."

FactCheck: That's true, but it's also not the whole story. First, the good news: the unemployment rate currently sits at 5.6%. That's the lowest level since June 2008. Unemployment peaked at 10% in October 2009, and has been gradually falling since.

But it's not all good news. The unemployment rate tallies the percent of people who are both out of a job and actively looking to get one. So there are two ways to leave the legion of unemployed: One can get a job, or one can quit looking all together. In June 2008, the labor force participation rate was 66.1%. In December 2014, that rate sat at 62.7%. And if the same percentage of Americans were competing for jobs today as were in 2008, the unemployment rate would be much higher.

Source: National Journal FactCheck on 2015 State of the Union , Jan 20, 2015

FactCheck: $10.10 minimum wage only affects 200,000 workers

OBAMA: "In the coming weeks, I will issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay their federally funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour, because if you cook our troops' meals or wash their dishes, you shouldn't have to live in poverty."

THE FACTS: This would be a hefty boost in the federal minimum wage, now $7.25, but not many would see it.

Most employees of federal contractors already earn more than $10.10. About 10% of those workers, roughly 200,000, might be covered by the higher minimum wage. But there are several wrinkles. The increase would not take effect until 2015 at the earliest and it doesn't apply to existing federal contracts, only new ones. Renewed contracts also will be exempt from Obama's order unless other terms of the agreement change, such as the type of work or number of employees needed.

Obama also said he'll press Congress to raise the federal minimum wage overall. He tried that last year, seeking a $9 minimum, but Congress didn't act.

Source: AP/Fox News FactCheck on 2014 State of the Union , Jan 29, 2014

New ladder of opportunity into the middle class

In the coming months, let's see where else we can make progress together. Let's make this a year of action. That's what most Americans want--for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations. And what I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all--the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead.

It won't happen right away, and we won't agree on everything. But what I offer tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class. Some require Congressional action, and I'm eager to work with all of you. But America does not stand still--and neither will I. So wherever & whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do.

Source: 2014 State of the Union address , Jan 28, 2014

Federal contracts require minimum wage of $10.10 per hour

Americans overwhelmingly agree that no one who works full time should ever have to raise a family in poverty.

In the year since I asked this Congress to raise the minimum wage, five states have passed laws to raise theirs. Many businesses have done it on their own. To every mayor, governor, and state legislator in America, I say, you don't have to wait for Congress to act; Americans will support you if you take this on. And as a chief executive, I intend to lead by example. I will issue an Executive Order requiring federal contractors to pay their federally-funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour--because if you cook our troops' meals or wash their dishes, you shouldn't have to live in poverty.

Of course, to reach millions more, Congress needs to get on board. Today, the federal minimum wage is worth about 20% less than it was when Ronald Reagan first stood here. So say yes. Give America a raise.

Source: 2014 State of the Union address , Jan 28, 2014

No assault on unions: don't denigrate public employees

At the National Governor's Association, the president took a shot at me during a lunch with the assembled governors. "It does no one any good when public employees are denigrated or vilified or their rights are infringed upon," Obama declared. The president also called our reforms "an assault on unions, just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain."

Of course, we had not "vilified" anyone. If anything, I had bent over backward to avoid criticizing public workers. Moreover, we were giving our public workers in WI a much better deal than President Obama gives most federal workers in Washington, DC.

To the contrary, Obama unilaterally froze their pay--and he didn't have to get permission from a union steward to do it. If limiting collective bargaining in WI constituted an "attack on unions," then why didn't the president champion giving collective bargaining powers to workers at the federal level?

Source: Unintimidated, by Scott Walker, p.168-9 , Nov 18, 2013

FactCheck: Yes, 500K manufacturing jobs since 2010, but...

The president was correct when he said U.S. "manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three" years, but that's not the whole story.

Overall, there has been a net loss of more than 600,000 manufacturing jobs since Obama took office in January 2009, and manufacturing job growth during his tenure has stalled since reaching a peak of nearly 12 million jobs in July 2012.

Over the past three years--since January 2010--the U.S. economy has added 490,000 manufacturing jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 11,950,000 manufacturing jobs in January 2013--up from the 11,460,000 jobs recorded in January 2010. However, there were 12,556,000 manufacturing jobs in January 2009. So overall, there has been a loss of 606,000 jobs since Obama took office. More recently, "manufacturing growth has been stuck in neutral," as the National Association of Manufacturers said in a Feb. 12 press release.

Source: FactCheck.org on 2013 State of the Union Address , Feb 13, 2013

Make America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing

Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing. After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. After locating plants in other countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home. And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.

There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend. Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. There's no reason this can't happen in other towns. So tonight, I'm announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in America.

Source: 2013 State of the Union Address , Feb 12, 2013

Raise federal minimum wage to $9 per hour, and tie to COLA

Tonight, let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour. This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets.

Working folks shouldn't have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here's an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.

America is not a place where chance of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny. And that is why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them.

Source: 2013 State of the Union Address , Feb 12, 2013

We were losing 800,000 jobs each month when I started

We were losing 800,000 jobs a month when I started. But we had been digging our way out of policies that were misplaced and focused on the top doing very well and middle class folks not doing well. We've seen 31 consecutive months of job growth; 5.2 million new jobs created. The plans that I talked about will create even more. When Romney talks about getting tough on China, keep in mind that he invested in companies that were pioneers of outsourcing to China.
Source: Second Obama-Romney 2012 debate , Oct 16, 2012

Change offshore tax rules to bring back outsourced jobs

Q: What plans do you have to get outsourced jobs back?

ROMNEY: The place where we've seen manufacturing go has been China. On day one, I will label China a currency manipulator, which will allow me as president to be able to put in place tariffs.

OBAMA: I want to close loopholes that allow companies to deduct expenses when they move to China; that allow them to profit offshore. Now, Gov. Romney actually wants to expand those tax breaks. One of his big ideas when it comes to corporate tax reform would be to say, if you invest overseas, you make profits overseas, you don't have to pay US taxes. It's estimated that that will create 800,000 new jobs. The problem is they'll be in China. Or India. Or Germany. That's not the way we're going to create jobs here. The way we're going to create jobs here is not just to change our tax code, but also to double our exports. That's why we've kept on pushing trade deals, but trade deals that make sure that American workers are getting a good deal.

Source: Second Obama-Romney 2012 debate , Oct 16, 2012

OpEd: Backed Employee Free Choice Act only during campaign

While running for office, Obama said he strongly backed the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). However, when Obama took office and talked about steps to 'jolt' the economy, the Act was not part of the package. EFCA quickly vanished. And to make priorities even clearer, a few weeks after taking office, Pres. Obama decided to show his solidarity with workers by giving a talk at a Caterpillar plant. The hardline CEO of Caterpillar rescinded the contract with United Auto Workers in 1991, instituted a lockout, and brought in scabs, for the first time in generations in manufacturing industry.

At the time of Caterpillar's innovation in labor relations, Obama was a community organizer in Chicago and visiting fellow at the University of Chicago Law School. He must have been reading the Chicago Tribune, which ran a careful study in these events. They reported that the union was "stunned" to find that unemployed workers crossed the picket line with no remorse.

Source: Hopes and Prospects, by Noam Chomsky, p.217-218 , Jun 1, 2010

FactCheck: Yes, wants to limit secret balloting for unions

The Statement:In a speech at Virginia Beach, McCain took on Obama’s stance on unions: “Obama is planning to take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections,” he said.

The Facts:McCain is referring to a plan supported by labor unions. Currently, workers must get at least 30% of their colleagues to sign an authorization form to ask for union representation--then hold a secret-ballot vote to finalize it. The change Obama supports, part of the Employee Free-Choice Act, would let a union be recognized by the National Labor Relations Board immediately after the majority signs the authorization. Supporters of the change say it would cut down on the ability of employers to pressure their workers to vote against a union.

The Verdict:True. McCain accurately represents Obama’s stance, although they disagree on the merits of the plan. Organized labor backs Obama’s position, while business groups & some non-union workers support McCain’s.

Source: CNN FactCheck on 2008 presidential race , Oct 13, 2008

FactCheck: Yes, McCain voted for overseas tax deferral, but.

The Statement:Obama claimed: “McCain wants to keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas.”

The Facts:All US corporations are required to pay a 35% tax on income, but US companies are allowed to defer paying taxes on income earned abroad as long as that money is being used by the company overseas and remains “unrepatriated income.” That can amount to an indefinite deferral, and does offer an incentive for US companies to do business abroad.

Obama cites 3 Senate votes by McCain, from 1995 to 2005, against repealing overseas tax deferrals. The McCain campaign supplied CNN with material arguing that the loss of US jobs to overseas operations can’t be linked directly to the tax rules.

The Verdict:Misleading. While McCain is on record voting against changing the tax deferrals, he has not said he “wants to keep giving tax breaks,” as Obama stated. Obama’s statement also oversimplifies the complexities of taxes and US jobs moving overseas.

Source: CNN FactCheck on 2008 presidential race , Oct 10, 2008

End incentives that move jobs overseas

McCAIN: Obama didn’t mention that along with his tax cuts he is also proposing some $800 billion in new spending on new programs. That’s the fundamental difference between myself and Obama. I want to cut spending. I want to keep taxes low. The worst thing we could do in this economic climate is to raise people’s taxes.

OBAMA: What I do is, I close corporate loopholes, stop providing tax cuts to corporations that are shipping jobs overseas, so that we’re giving tax breaks to companies that are investing here in the US. I make sure that we have a health care system that allows for everyone to have basic coverage. Those are pretty important priorities. I’d pay for every dime of them. When you look at your tax policies that are directed primarily at those who are doing well and you are neglecting people who are really struggling right now, I think, that is a continuation of the last eight years. We can’t afford another four.

Source: 2008 first presidential debate, Obama vs. McCain , Sep 26, 2008

Small towns get bitter over long-term joblessness

On Sunday, April 6, 2008, at a private fund-raising event in San Francisco, Barack Obama was speaking to a small group of wealthy supporters. He was comfortable in the belief that his off-the-record comments were not being recorded.
Source: Obama Nation, by Jerome Corsi, p. 6-7 , Aug 1, 2008

Supports Fair Pay Act: equal pay for equal work

Obama's proposals on combating employment discrimination include: working to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. Obama will also pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work. Obama will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies, and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.
Source: Obamanomics, by John R. Talbott, p. 66 , Jul 1, 2008

Expand paid sick days to seven per year

Obama has many initiatives to strengthen the family and provide a better learning environment for the young child to describe them all in detail here. A partial listing would include:
Source: Obamanomics, by John R. Talbott, p. 58-59 , Jul 1, 2008

Employee Free Choice Act: right to organize harassment-free

Obama has real plans to strengthen American's ability to organize into unions. From his campaign policy statement:
Source: Obamanomics, by John R. Talbott, p.118-119 , Jul 1, 2008

1980s: Opened first city job center in South Chicago

Obama's first major accomplishment came from the top down. He glanced at the back of a brochure from the Mayor's Office of Employment and Training (MET) and noticed the agency had no offices in the southernmost part of the city. He mobilized residents of the Altgeld Gardens housing project--squeezed between a landfill and a redolent sewage treatment plant at the city's southern edge; median 2000 household income $11,066; also 97% African-American--and pushed for a jobs center.

Source: Obama for Beginners, by Bob Neer, p. 20 , Apr 1, 2008

Fight attacks on workers’ right to organize & strike

Source: Campaign booklet, “Blueprint for Change”, p. 10-15 , Feb 2, 2008

Focus farm programs on family farms, not giant corporations

AT A GLANCETHE PROBLEMOBAMA’S PLAN
Source: Campaign booklet, “Blueprint for Change”, p. 31-34 , Feb 2, 2008

Paying more at Wal-Mart is worth it for having US jobs

Q: Are any of you willing to state frankly that, if you do what you’re talking about, that Americans are going to pay more for consumer goods at Wal-Mart, and you believe it’s worth it?

A: I actually believe that China will modify its behavior if we actually are tough in our negotiations. Look, we are the biggest market for China. They can’t afford to just say, “See ya later.” They’re going to have to sell here. And if we tell them you have to meet certain safety standards, that you have to enforce certain labor and environmental agreements, they will meet them. Now, could there potentially be some higher costs in the front end? Probably. But I guarantee you I don’t meet a single worker in Iowa who’s been laid off who says, “I wouldn’t rather pay a little bit more for sneakers at Wal-Mart but still have a job.”

Source: 2007 Des Moines Register Democratic debate , Dec 13, 2007

Give public safety officers collective bargaining rights

Giving Public Safety Officers Collective Bargaining Rights

Obama believes that firefighters deserve the right to bargain collectively. In too many communities, firefighters, police officers and other public safety officers are unable to bargain over wages and working conditions, and are denied access to outside mediation. Obama supports the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act.

Making it Easier for Firefighters to Get the Benefits They Deserve

More than 40 states have laws that make it easier for firefighters to prove their heart disease, lung disease, or cancer is related to the everyday hazards of their dangerous work. However, federally-hired firefighters have a very high burden of proof to document specific exposures to hazardous substances. Obama wants to reform federal workforce laws so that firefighters who got sick on the job can get the disability pay they deserve.

Source: 2008 Presidential campaign website, BarackObama.com “Flyers” , Aug 26, 2007

Chicago’s Soldier Field stadium construction created jobs

Q: You were in the Illinois legislature when Soldier Field was funded. You voted for it, although you seemed reluctant at the time. Was it the right call?

A: Absolutely, it was the right call because it put a whole bunch of Illinois folks to work, strong labor jobs were created in this stadium, and at the same time, we created an enormous opportunity for economic growth throughout the city of Chicago. And that’s good for the state of Illinois.

Source: 2007 AFL-CIO Democratic primary forum , Aug 7, 2007

Pres. candidates can afford minimum wage; most folks can’t

Q: If you’re elected to serve as president, would you be willing to do this service for the next four years and be paid the national minimum wage of $7.25 per hour?

EDWARDS: Yes.

CLINTON: Sure.

OBAMA: Well, we can afford to work for the minimum wage because most folks on this stage have a lot of money. I mean, we don’t have Mitt Romney money, but we could afford to do it for a few years. Most folks can’t. And that’s why we’ve got to fight and advocate for.

Source: 2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC , Jul 23, 2007

Make the minimum wage a living wage

It’s time to turn the page for all those Americans who want nothing more than to have a job that can pay the bills and raise a family. Let’s finally make the minimum wage a living wage. Let’s tie it to the cost of living so we don’t have to wait another 10 years to see it rise. Let’s put the jobless back to work in transitional jobs that can give them a paycheck and a sense of pride. Let’s help our workers advance with job training and lifelong education. Let’s invest in infrastructure, broadband lines, and rural communities and in inner cities. Let’s give jobs to ex-offenders--because we believe in giving a second chance to people. And let’s finally allow our unions to do what they do best and lift up the middle class in this country once more.
Source: Take Back America 2007 Conference , Jun 19, 2007

Burdens of globalization are placed on the backs of workers

This world is not standing still. And we’ve got to take the values that have made America great but we have to adapt them to new times. And we know what those challenges are. Because of globalization, because of automation what we’re seeing is increasingly a situation in which the benefits of this new economy accrued to just some and leave too many behind. Wages, salaries have flat lined and benefits are diminished. And the message that we’ve heard over the last six years is, You’re on your own.

The troubles, the difficulties, the burdens of globalization are going to be placed on the backs of workers. But there’s always been another vision that says we’re in it together and that the burdens and benefits of this new economy have to be spread evenly across the economy, and nowhere do we see that more than in the issue of health care.

Source: SEIU Democratic Health Care Forum in Las Vegas , Mar 24, 2007

Owes unions who endorsed him; that’s why he’s in politics

The leaders of service workers unions broke ranks & chose to endorse me over [my opponent], support that proved critical to my campaign. It was a risky move on their part; had I lost, they might have paid a price in access, in support, in credibility.

So I owe those unions. When their leaders call, I do my best to call them back right away. I do not consider this corrupting in any way; I do not mind feeling obligated toward home health-care workers or toward teachers. I got into politics to fight for those folks, and I am glad a union is around to remind me of their struggles.

However, there have been strains. I have proposed experimenting with merit pay for teachers, for example, and have called for raising fuel-efficiency standards despite opposition from the United Auto Workers. I like to tell myself that I will continue to weigh the issues on the merits. I hope I can always go to my union friends and explain why my position is consistent with my values and their interests.

Source: The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p.118-119 , Oct 1, 2006

Working full-time should mean enough to support a family

Americans believe that if we work full-time, we should be able to support ourselves and our kids. For many people, this basic promise is not being fulfilled.

Government policies can help, with little impact on market efficiency. We can raise the minimum wage. It may be true that any big jumps in the minimum wage discourage employers from hiring. But when the minimum wage has not been changed in nine years and has less purchasing power in real dollars than it did in 1955, so that someone working full-time today in a minimum wage job does not earn enough to raise out of poverty, such arguments carry less force. The Earned Income Tax Credit provides low-wage workers with supplemental income through the tax code should be expanded and streamlined so more families can take advantage of it.

Source: The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p.180-181 , Oct 1, 2006

Overrode federal overtime rules and raised the minimum wage

Obama was the driving force behind Illinois’ Earned Income Tax Credit, which has provided more than $100 million in tax relief to working families. He was the chief sponsor of the law that exempts Illinois from the Bush Administration’s new federal overtime rules and protects overtime pay for thousands of Illinois workers. He voted to increase the minimum wage to $6.50 an hour. He sponsored a law that ensures workers have advance warning if their employer is about to conduct a mass lay-off.
Source: 2004 Senate campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com , Sep 28, 2004

Make sure that African-American men have access to jobs

It’s heartbreaking that 3 out of 4 black children born are born to unmarried mothers in Illinois. Some of it is just making sure that African-American men have access to jobs. There’s been the devastation as we lose manufacturing jobs that disproportionately hurts African-Americans, blue-collar workers who used to be able to support a family with an unskilled job. That’s no longer possible. So we got to have a base of economic security in order to build strong families.
Source: Meet The Press, NBC News, 2004 interview with Tim Russert , Jul 25, 2004

Fund Trade Adjustment Assistance for service workers too

Obama will ensure funding is available for the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, and expand it so it covers service workers as well as manufacturing workers, in order to provide retraining, income support, health insurance tax credits, and other benefits to those who lose their jobs because of trade.
Source: 2004 Senate campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com , Jun 25, 2004

Increase IL minimum wage to $6.50 an hour

A PROVEN RECORD: As a State Senator, Barack Obama has spent his career fighting for Illinois’ working families.
Source: Press Release, “Creating Jobs in America” , Jun 21, 2004

Tax cuts for the rich do not create jobs

Obama believes that there is no such thing as a “jobless recovery.” Obama will champion policies that get our economy moving and people working instead of short-sighted tax-cuts for the rich that have failed to spark a recovery.
Source: 2004 Senate campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com , May 2, 2004

Obama will strengthen unions and workers’ rights

Obama will do everything in his power to fight the Bush Administration’s crusade against unions and, instead, build support to strengthen workers’ rights.
Source: 2004 Senate campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com , May 2, 2004

OpEd: GM & Chrysler takeover put union needs ahead of others

Congressman John Carter (R-TX) compares Obama's seizure of GM and Chrysler stock and bonds to President Harry Truman's nationalization of the steel mills during the Korean War, an act the Supreme Court ruled to be unconstitutional. As Carter writes, the "Truman Administration's contention--much like the Obama Administration position today--was that the aggregate powers of the Constitution and acts of Congress created new, more far-reaching powers."

Carter points out that the "Court flatly rejected this contention, writing [in "Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company v Sawyer"] that 'nowhere in the Constitution is the executive granted the right to seize power.' The Court continued, 'Congress has not granted the President the power to take possession of property, and the Constitution does not grant the President' that power"

What Obama did in the takeover was simple. He put the rights of the unsecured stakeholders--the United Auto Workers--ahead of the bondholders, whose rights were legally secured.

Source: Take Back America, by Dick Morris, p.116 , Apr 13, 2010

Barack Obama on Job Stimulus

US economy is strong: 900,000 new jobs in the past 6 years

The US in the middle of the longest streak of private sector job creation in history.˙More than 14 million new jobs, the strongest two years of job growth since the `90s, an unemployment rate cut in half. Our auto industry just had its best year ever. That's just part of a manufacturing surge that's created nearly 900,000 new jobs in the past 6 years. And we've done all this while cutting our deficits by almost three-quarters.˙
Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress , Jan 20, 2016

We've cut unemployment in half during my term

Obama asserted in his State of the Union speech, "We're in the middle of the longest streak of private-sector job creation in history... an unemployment rate cut in half." Is that true? That the unemployment rate was cut in half during Obama's term in office? We checked the Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment Rate Table:

That chart indicates that unemployment reached a peak of 10.0% in Oct. 2009, eight months after Obama took office. And the current unemployment rate as of Dec. 2015 is 5.0%, exactly half of the peak unemployment rate. So, yes, the president was correct. But voters might interpret his meaning as "an unemployment rate cut in half from when I took office", which is not correct; to be correct, you must use the interpretation "an unemployment rate cut in half from the peak of the recession."

Source: 2016 State of the Union: OnTheIssues FactCheck , Jan 13, 2016

FactCheck: Yes, 8M new jobs, but net 1.2M lost in recession

Obama said, "The more than eight million new jobs our businesses have created over the past four years."

Fact Check: The president is cherry-picking a number that puts the improvement in the economy in the best possible light. The low point in jobs was reached in February 2010, and there has indeed been a gain of about 8 million jobs since then, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. (Obama, saying "businesses," appears to be referring to private sector growth of 8.2 million; adding government jobs reduces the total to 7.6 million.) But the data also show that since the start of his presidency, about 3.2 million jobs have been created--and the number of jobs in the economy still is about 1.2 million lower than when the recession began in December 2007.

Source: Washington Post FactCheck on 2014 State of the Union , Jan 28, 2014

Create 600,000 jobs in the natural gas industry

We still continue to open up new areas for drilling. We continue to make it a priority for us to go after natural gas. We've got potentially 600,000 jobs and 100 years' worth of energy right beneath our feet with natural gas.
Source: Second Obama-Romney 2012 Presidential debate , Oct 16, 2012

Wind energy jobs are not imaginary jobs

On wind energy, when Romney says "these are imaginary jobs." When you've got thousands of people right now in Iowa, right now in Colorado, who are working, creating wind power with good-paying manufacturing jobs, and the Republican senator in Iowa is all for it, providing tax breaks to help this work and Governor Romney says I'm opposed. I'd get rid of it. That's not an energy strategy for the future. And we need to win that future.
Source: Second Obama-Romney 2012 Presidential debate , Oct 16, 2012

FactCheck: Jobs increasing, but still lower than in 2008

Obama was correct when he said that last year's private job growth was the most in six years. But he was silent on how far the jobs recovery has to go. Obama said, "In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s."

Between Feb. 2010 & Dec. 2011, private sector employment climbed from 106,772,000 to 109,928,000. That's an increase of nearly 3.2 million jobs. And private sector employment increased by 1.9 million in 2011. That's the largest annual increase since 2.3 million jobs were added in 2005. There was also a net increase in manufacturing employment in 2011, when 225,000 jobs were added. The last time that happened was back in 1997.

But--what the president didn't mention--total employment remains nearly 1.7 million below where it was the month Obama took office, and more than 6 million below where it was at the best point in the Bush administration, in Jan. 2008.

Source: FactCheck.org on 2012 State of the Union speech , Jan 24, 2012

OpEd:Believes Keynesian theory that government spurs economy

Throughout a series of meetings with Obama administration officials on the stimulus bill, it became clear that the president's team were fervent believers in the economic theories of a British economist called John Maynard Keynes, whose theories were developed in the mid-20th century. Keynesian theory says that government can create jobs and spur economic development simply by spending--even spending money it doesn't have. The idea is that government can be counted on to spend more wisely than the people. By taking more of the taxpayers' money--or borrowing or simply printing more money--and then spending it as the government sees fit, jobs will be created and the economy will grow. Or so the theory goes.

I rejected this approach. We believed then as we believe now: it is small businesses--driven to innovate, invest and grow--that will regenerate the millions of sustainable jobs we so desperately need.

Source: Young Guns, by Reps. Ryan, Cantor & McCarthy, p. 46-47 , Sep 14, 2010

Four million jobs created or saved by recovery program

It's all about reassurance, which meant offering a specific number of new jobs that Obama's recovery program would create. The actual number was less important than that there WAS a number. Because job creation would be hard, the campaign settled on 4 million jobs created OR SAVED. The latter was a gaping rhetorical loophole they would use throughout 2009: How could any reputable statistician count someone who DIDN'T get laid off? But it got them to a higher number they could sell politically.
Source: The Promise: Obama Year One, by Jonathan Alter, p. 22 , May 18, 2010

Recession job losses more severe than anticipated

Rep. PENCE: Your administration told us that we'd have to borrow more than $700 billion to pay for a so-called stimulus bill. It was a piecemeal list of projects and boutique tax cuts, all of which--we were told--had to be passed or unemployment would go to 8%, as your administration said. Well, unemployment is 10% now.

Pres. OBAMA: You're absolutely right that when I was sworn in the hope was that unemployment would remain around 8%. What ended up happening was that the job losses from this recession proved to be much more severe than anybody anticipated. We underestimated how severe the job losses were going to be. But those job losses took place before any stimulus, whether it was the ones that you guys have proposed or the ones that we proposed, could have ever taken into effect. Now, that's just the fact, Mike, and I don't think anybody would dispute that. You could not find an economist who would dispute that.

Source: Obama Q&A at 2010 House Republican retreat in Baltimore , Jan 29, 2010

Jobs must be our #1 focus in 2010

For every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from; who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response. That is why jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010, and that's why I'm calling for a new jobs bill tonight.
Source: 2010 State of the Union Address , Jan 27, 2010

FactCheck: Obama's estimate of 2M jobs saved is closer to 1M

The president said the stimulus bill was responsible for "about 2 million" jobs, but other estimates put the total as low as 800,000. Obama said, "Because of the steps we took, there are about 2 million Americans working right now who would otherwise be unemployed."

The 2 million jobs estimate comes from the latest report of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, which said the stimulus bill "has raised employment relative to what it otherwise would have been by 1-1/2 to 2 million." So his own economic advisers say the number could be as low as 1.5 million, but Obama took the higher number in their range. And the CEA report also cited estimates from others:

Furthermore, it's difficult to say definitively what the employment situation would have been without the legislation, and the CEA report acknowledges that [while Obama did not].
Source: FactCheck.org on 2010 State of the Union speech , Jan 27, 2010

FactCheck: Economic plan may create only 2.2M jobs, not 3.5M

Obama continued his recent habit of asserting projections as fact. Obama said, "This plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs. More than 90 percent of these jobs will be in the private sector, jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges, constructing wind turbines and solar panels, laying broadband and expanding mass transit."

But Obama's numbers are not certain. The estimate of 3.5 million jobs is backed up by projections from different economists, but others downgraded his job estimate to 2.2 million once the stimulus legislation was finalized. It's worth noting that even Nobel-winning economists disagree sharply about macroeconomic projections. That's because macroeconomics is still a relatively new discipline. There is limited data, and even less agreement about what the available data actually mean.

Source: FactCheck.org on 2009 State of the Union address , Feb 24, 2009

Solution to financial crisis is more job creation

Q: You proposed $60 billion in tax cuts for middle- & lower-income people, more tax breaks to create jobs, new spending for public works projects to create jobs.

OBAMA: I think everybody understands at this point that we are experiencing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. And the financial rescue plan that Sen. McCain and I supported is an important first step. And I pushed for some core principles: making sure that taxpayer can get their money back if they’re putting money up. Making sure that CEOs are not enriching themselves thru this process. But what we haven’t yet seen is a rescue package for the middle class. So I’ve proposed four specific things that I think can help. #1, let’s focus on jobs. #2, let’s help families right away by providing them a middle-class tax cut. #3, Sen. McCain and I agree that we’ve got to help homeowners. #4, We’ve got some long-term challenges: We’ve got to fix our energy policy; our health care system; and invest in our education system.

Source: 2008 third presidential debate against John McCain , Oct 15, 2008

Barack Obama on Voting Record

Chief co-sponsor of IL ENDA, against gay job discrimination

Q: A recent poll of young Americans show that 44% favor same-sex marriage compared to 28% of the older public. Now, you’re running as a candidate of change. But how can you run as a candidate of change when your stance on same-sex marriage is decidedly old school?

A: Oh, come on, now. There’s a reason why I was here first. It’s because I’ve got a track record of working on these issues. If people are interested at the federal level, they can look at who was the chief co-sponsor of Illinois’ version of ENDA [the Employment Non-Discrimination Acts, focusing on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation], which we passed. If people are interested in my stance on these issues, I’ve got a track record of working with the LGBT community. What I have focused on and what I will continue to focus on is making sure that the rights that are provided by the federal government and the state governments and local governments are ones that are provided to everybody.

Source: 2007 HRC/LOGO debate on gay issues , Aug 9, 2007

Voted NO on terminating legal challenges to English-only job rules.

CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: To take $670,000 used by the EEOC in bringing actions against employers that require their employees to speak English, and instead use the money to teach English to adults through the Department of Education's English Literacy/Civics Education State Grant program.

SUPPORTER'S ARGUMENT FOR VOTING YES:Sen. ALEXANDER: Let me begin with this story. In March 2007, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the Salvation Army for allegedly discriminating against two employees in a Boston area thrift store. What had the Salvation Army done to earn this lawsuit from the Federal Government? Well, it had required its employees to speak English on the job. The English rule was clearly posted, and the employees were given a year to learn it. But this lawsuit means that a small business in Missouri would have to hire a lawyer in order to make sure they have a clear business reason to require their employees to speak our common language on the job.

So I have an amendment to bring some common sense to this subject. It would be to take $670,000 used by the EEOC, which it is using to bring actions against employers who require their employees to speak English.OPPONENT'S ARGUMENT FOR VOTING NO:Sen. KENNEDY: Let's look at what the law is and what the Alexander amendment provides. The law currently says that if there is a need to speak English on the job, fine; employers can require that. But employers cannot use English-only rules as an excuse when they want to fire minorities who are performing the job correctly. In this fact situation, those employees had performed the job correctly for 5 years.

In addition, this amendment reduces the EEOC's ability to fight all forms of discrimination because it cuts the entire budget. That means race, age, religion, and disability cases will be harmed. I hope the amendment will be defeated.LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Amendment passed, 54-44

Reference: Bill S.Amdt.4222 to S.Con.Res.70 ; vote number 08-S058 on Mar 13, 2008

Voted YES on restricting employer interference in union organizing.

    To enable employees to form & join labor organizations, and to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts. Requires investigation that an employer:
    1. discharged or discriminated against an employee to discourage membership in a labor organization;
    2. threatened to discharge employees in the exercise of guaranteed collective bargaining rights; and
    3. adds to remedies for such violations: back pay plus liquidated damages; and additional civil penalties.

    Proponents support voting YES because:

    The principle at stake here is the freedom that all workers should have to organize for better working conditions & fair wages. There are many employers around the country who honor this freedom. Unfortunately, there are also many employers who do not. These employers attempt to prevent workers from unionizing by using tactics that amount to harassment, if not outright firing. In fact, one in five people who try to organize unions are fired. These tactics are already illegal, but the penalties are so minor, they are not effective deterrents.

    Opponents support voting NO because:

    Democracy itself is placed at risk by this bill. The sanctity of the secret ballot is the backbone of our democratic process. Not one voter signed a card to send us here to Congress. None of us sent our campaign workers out to voters' houses armed with candidate information & a stack of authorization cards. No. We trusted democracy. We trusted the voters to cast their ballots like adults, freely, openly, without intimidation, and we live with the results. But here we are, poised to advance legislation to kill a secret ballot process.

    Let's be clear. Every American has the right to organize. No one is debating that. This is a right we believe in so strongly we have codified it and made it possible for workers to do so through a secret ballot.
    Status: Cloture rejected Cloture vote rejected, 51-48 (3/5ths required)

    Reference: Employee Free Choice Act; Bill H R 800 ; vote number 2007-227 on Jun 26, 2007

    Voted YES on increasing minimum wage to $7.25.

    Increase the federal minimum wage to:
    1. $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment;
    2. $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after that 60th day; and
    3. $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after that 60th day.

    Proponents support voting YES because:

    We have waited for over 10 years to have a clean vote on the minimum wage for the poorest workers in this country Low-wage workers had their wages frozen in time, from 10 years ago, but when they go to the supermarket, the food prices are higher; when they put gasoline in the car, the gasoline prices are higher; when they pay the utility bills, the utility bills are higher; when their kids get sick, the medical bills are higher. All of those things are higher. They are living in 2007, but in their wages they are living in 1997.

    Opponents support voting NO because:

    This bill is marked more by what is not in the bill than what is in it. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They create two-thirds of our Nation's new jobs, and they represent 98% of the new businesses in the US. What protection does this bill provide them? None whatsoever.

    We can do better. In the interest of sending the President a final measure that provides consideration for small businesses and their workers, the very men and women who are responsible for our economy's recent growth and strength, we must do better.

    Reference: Fair Minimum Wage Act; Bill H.R.2 ; vote number 2007-042 on Feb 1, 2007

    Voted YES on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25.

    Vote to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour, over a two-year time period, in three incremental stages. Without the amendment, the minimum wage would increase to $6.25 per hour.
    Reference: Amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; Bill S AMDT 44 to S 256 ; vote number 2005-26 on Mar 7, 2005

    Sponsored bill allowing an Air Traffic Controller's Union.

    Obama sponsored allowing an Air Traffic Controller's Union

    OFFICIAL CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: Federal Aviation Administration Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006: Prohibits the FAA from implementing any proposed change to the FAA personnel management system in cases where the services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service do not lead to an agreement between the Administrator and FAA employees, unless Congress authorizes the change during the 60-day period. Requires binding arbitration if Congress does not enact a bill into law within the 60-day period.

    SPONSOR'S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Sen. OBAMA: Because what air traffic controllers do is vital to our safety, I became very concerned by a letter I received from Illinois air traffic controller Michael Hannigan. He wrote that "the air traffic controllers are not being allowed to negotiate in good faith with the FAA."

    What was clear in Michael's plea was the sense that he and his colleagues felt that they were being treated unfairly. I looked into it and came to the conclusion that if we did not restore a fair negotiation procedure, it would threaten agency morale and effectiveness.

    The problem is this: the FAA Administrator currently has the extraordinary authority to impose wages and working conditions on her workers without arbitration. In order to do that, she merely has to declare an impasse in negotiations and if Congress does not stop her from imposing her terms and conditions within 60 days, the Administrator can go ahead and act unilaterally. That authority denies air traffic controllers and all other FAA employees the opportunity to engage in and conclude negotiations in good faith.

    It is in the best interest of the agency and public safety to have management and labor cooperate in contract negotiations.

    EXCERPTS OF BILL:

    LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; never came to a vote.

    Source: FAA Dispute Resolution Act (S.2201/H.R.4755) 06-S2201 on Jan 26, 2006

    Match minimum wage increases to Congressional pay raises.

    Obama co-sponsored matching minimum wage increases to Congressional pay raises

    OFFICIAL CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: A bill to provide for an increase in the Federal Minimum wage and to ensure that increases in the Federal minimum wage keep pace with any pay adjustments for Members of Congress.

    SPONSOR'S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Sen. CLINTON: This legislation will raise the minimum wage over the next two years and link future increases in the minimum wage to Congressional raises. Today, working parents earning the minimum wage are struggling to make ends meet and to build better lives for their children. The Federal minimum wage is currently $5.15 an hour, an amount that has not been increased since 1997. Sadly, during that time, Congress has given itself eight annual pay raises. We can no longer stand by and regularly give ourselves a pay increase while denying a minimum wage increase to help the more than 7 million men and women working hard across this nation. If Members of Congress need an annual cost of living adjustment, then certainly the lowest-paid members of our society do too.

    My legislation would increase the minimum wage first to $5.85 an hour, then to $6.55 an hour, and ultimately to $7.25 an hour within the next two years. In addition, my legislation then ensures that every time Congress gives itself a raise in the future that Americans get a raise too. This is the right and fair thing to do for hardworking Americans.

    LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; never came to a vote.

    Source: Standing with Minimum Wage Earners Act (S.2725) 06-S2725 on May 4, 2006

    Extend unemployment compensation during recession.

    Obama co-sponsored extending unemployment compensation during recession

    A bill to provide for a program of temporary extended unemployment compensation. Provides for federal-state agreements under which a state will make temporary extended unemployment compensation payments to individuals who:

    1. have exhausted all rights to regular compensation under state or federal law with respect to a benefit year (excluding any benefit year that ended before one year before the enactment of this Act);
    2. have no rights to regular compensation or extended compensation with respect to a week under such law or any other state or federal unemployment compensation law;
    3. are not receiving compensation for such week under the unemployment compensation law of Canada; and
    4. filed an initial claim for regular compensation on or after one year before the enactment of this Act.
    Source: Emergency Unemployment Extension Act (S.2544&H.R.4934) 2008-S2544 on Jan 22, 2008

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