People who Work (or Want to)

Between Labor Day and President Obama’s jobs bill, labor issues have been headline news this month.

In a statement following Obama’s address to Congress, Rep. Janice Hahn outlined the local angle to the national jobs bill, referring to three political leaders and constituents to illustrate the stakes and far-reaching impact of the proposal. Said Hahn:

“Tonight, the President reminded Congress and all Americans that regardless of party, we need to work together so people can get back to work.  I strongly support his efforts to invest in infrastructure and to improve our bridges and roads because dollars spent on these initiatives mean that we will be able to hire Americans to rebuild our country.

Investing in infrastructure is something that both Republicans and Democrats can agree upon. Just last week, I met with the Republican Mayor of Torrance, Frank Scotto, who encouraged me to back this kind of targeted spending.

I was pleased to hear the President announce a plan that will ‘create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for the long-term unemployed.’

I was also delighted that First Lady Michelle Obama invited Tamara Washington, a resident of Torrance, to attend tonight’s speech. Ms. Washington’s dedication to finding work to help support her family is the kind of unsung bravery and courage that millions of Americans demonstrate each and every day.

Finally my guest at this evening’s event, Matt McKinnon, the Director of Legislative and Political Action at the Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), attended on my behalf as a reminder that whatever action we take in creating jobs, it must be directed at the hard-working men and women who have made this country strong in the past and are eager to get back to work.”

Speaking on the House floor on Sept. 14, Hahn called for passage of the jobs bill.

“The American people have waited too long for this Congress to put its focus where it belongs: on creating jobs and getting this nation back to work...,” Hahn said. “The American Jobs Act is good news for veterans, construction workers, teachers, firefighters, the long-term unemployed and … all Americans who can look forward to a stronger economy and a more competitive nation.”

Here’s a video of Hahn’s remarks.

(On a related note, here is a video of Hahn’s July swearing-in).

On the subject of working people, the Daily Breeze has posted a photo album from the annual Labor Day march and rally in Wilmington.