Here’s a great video that shows in part how the nation got to the point where inequality is so rampant, CEO greed so unrepentent and Wall Street so not held accountable that people across the nation have taken to the streets—and are staying there.

As Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren says here:

We go with this idea of “Let’s get rid of regulation” and what happens? Late 1980s, savings and loan crisis—should have been a warning. Late 1990s, remember long-term capital management, hedge funds? Should have been a warning. Early 2000s, Enron—should have been a warning. But we let it go and where did we end up? In the biggest crisis since the Great Depression.

H/T to MoveOn.org for featuring this clip from Lance Baxter’s YouTube channel.

The workers—members of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) and Electrical Workers (IBEW)—went on strike yesterday after Verizon would not back off from its $1 billion giveback demands. That’s about $20,000 per Verizon family. The strike, says CWA District 1 Vice President Chris Shelton, is

all about good jobs. Companies like Verizon should be investing in rebuilding the American economy, not contributing to the destruction of good, middle-class jobs.

It’s been a lucrative four years for Verizon and its CEO Ivan Seidenberg.

The company made $22.5 billion in profits and Seidenberg pocketed some $81 million in total compensation. And in case that’s enough to see him and his wife through their golden years, Verizon has guaranteed them free health care for life.

The profit-rich corporation that took good care of its CEO and top executives wants it workers 45,000 workers to give back $1 billion in health pension and other contract concessions. Verizon’s demands include outsourcing jobs overseas, gutting pension security, eliminating benefits for workers injured on the job, eliminating job security, slashing paid sick leave and raising health care costs.

CWA and IBEW members say they are prepared to return to work after management demonstrates the willingness to begin bargaining seriously for a fair agreement. If not, CWA and IBEW members and allies will continue the fight. Says IBEW President Edwin Hill:

We cannot stand by while one of the richest, most successful corporations in the world joins the race to decimate the middle class of this country. We remain ready to meet with Verizon to work out a fair agreement, but at this point, we had no choice.

Click here to sign petition telling Verizon to stop its attack on middle-class jobs and return to the bargaining table.

To tweet about the strike, use the hashtag #verizonstrike and feel free to direct to @VZLaborfacts.

Join CWA 6402 in a solidarity event on Saturday August 13, 2011
 at the Wichita Verizon store at 2441 N Maize RD from 1:00pm to 3:00pm

45,000 Verizon workers are now on strike to stop the attack on the middle class.

The reason? Despite record profits, Verizon is refusing to bargain and is demanding that its workers add to those profits from their own pockets.

In the last four years alone, Verizon made more than $19 billion in profits and compensated their top five executives more than a quarter of a billion dollars. But apparently that’s not enough.

Now they’re refusing to bargain. Starting on June 22 Verizon pushed proposals that would let them outsource more jobs, including sending jobs overseas, slash sick days, eliminate benefits for workers who get hurt on the job and cut the healthcare benefits they promised retirees. And they haven’t budged.

Please join together in solidarity as this fight is about Good Jobs and is critical to our entire Labor Movement.

Since issuing a complaint against The Boeing Co., the National Labor Relations Board’s acting general counsel — and the board itself — has been the target of intense political attacks.

The board alleges that Boeing unlawfully retaliated against employees by taking work away because they went on strike. As with the enforcement of any law, it is not unusual for NLRB complaints to be sharply contested and litigated.

But something different is going on in this case: The controversy surrounding this small federal agency’s prosecutorial decision is raising concern that today’s heated political rhetoric is undermining the constitutional right of due process.

Read the entire article at Politico

Citizens for Tax Justice release study on corporate tax reform.
On June 1, Citizens for TaxJustice (CTJ) released a preview of their upcoming report on how several Fortune 500 companies have been successful in reducing or eliminating their federal income taxes. The study illustrates the need for corporate tax reform because “most, if not all, of the revenue saved from eliminating corporate tax subsidies should go towards deficit reduction and towards creating the healthy, educated workforce and sound infrastructure that will make our nation more competitive.” More information can be found here.

Voter Identification law’s impact on minority voters study released.
Recent research has found that voter ID laws have a disproportionate effect on racial minority groups, particularly Latino and Asian groups. White likely voters were found to be more likely to have up-to-date photo identification has commonly required by these laws, while voters of color were found to be less likely to have IDs with up-to-date information. These laws, the research conclude, constitute a further barrier to political access to already marginalized groups. More information can be found here.

In a hearing before congress, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) got Gov. Scott Walker to admit that several items in his so-called budget repair bill that repealed the right of public employees to bargain for middle-class jobs had nothing to do with balancing the state’s budget.

Watch:

The same tired excuses are being used here too. We must not let Scott Walker, Sam Brownback or any other anti-worker politician use our rights as a scapegoat for their reckless corporate welfare budgets.

Wealth, or net worth, refers to an individual’s or a family’s total assets, such as bank account balances, savings and real estate, minus total liabilities, such as mortgages, debt and outstanding medical bills. As EPI points out, “along with wages and income, wealth is another key measure of economic security and well-being since it strengthens a family’s ability to withstand job loss or other economic distress.”

As Les Leopold points out, recent debates over workers’ wages have missed the big picture.

Do public-sector workers earn more than private-sector workers? Who cares? This boneheaded question has us fighting over the crumbs. (And the answer is no—all credible studies show that when you account for educational levels, the total compensation packages are about the same.)

The real question is: Why have most workers seen their standard of living stall over the last generation?

Leopold, executive director of the Labor Institute and the Public Health Institute, points to one answer: workers’ productivity has vastly outpaced their income, meaning CEOs are raking in the wealth off our backs.

So, the wealth gap gets worse and so does the pay gap: The wage gap between the top 100 CEOs and workers jumped from $45 to $1 in 1970 to—hold your breath—$1,723 to $1 in 2006.

Lest we forget, some 16 million workers still are unemployed or underemployed, a grim scenario not likely to change unless corporations create more jobs—there currently are five job seekers for every one opening.

The Kansas AFL-CIO said today that approval by the House to reduce unemployment benefits for working Kansans while keeping in place increased unemployment insurance tax breaks for businesses was just the latest GOP corporate giveaway at the expense of Kansas families.

Led by majority Republicans, the House passed legislation that would reduce unemployment benefits for thousands of Kansans who are looking for jobs. The House rejected provisions introduced by the Kansas Department of Labor to gradually increase employer contributions to the unemployment insurance trust fund to help replenish the bankrupt fund, but kept in place reduced tax rates approved last year.

To place the burden of rebuilding the state’s UI trust fund squarely on the backs of those least able to afford it is unconscionable. House Republicans have sent a message that businesses will not be responsible for their fair share. Yet, unemployed men and women looking for work while struggling to put food on the table, pay their mortgage or secure child care, will bear the brunt.

This is not just a fairness issue. It is also a moral issue. It is apparent today the UI Trust Fund is not the only thing bankrupt. The House GOP clearly showed that they are morally bankrupt as well.