richard trumka

• "I can’t remember when we decided to downsize our middle class. When was it we decided to downgrade our living standards? I don’t remember that!" more »

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The news is out: The Wall Street bankers we bailed out are giving themselves 2009 cash bonuses of a half million dollars on average -- not including stocks. more »

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Massachusetts voters sent a strong signal to Washington lawmakers Tuesday that they want results—and aren't seeing any. Not on health care reform, not on job creation and not on fixing the nation's economy.

Voters also sent another powerful message for Democrats: Ignore the working class at your peril. more »

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I'm going to Chicago next week for the American Bankers Association meeting. Oddly, I haven't been invited to the Roaring '20's dance party I hear they're having.

Why wouldn't they celebrate the era of wild money and hot times (which slid into the Great Depression)? After all, the bankers are doing well these days. more »

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Unions are popularly known as "the folks who brought you the weekend." In contrast, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has the distinction of trying to take away the weekend--along with overtime pay, the minimum wage, Buy America rules, workers' freedom to form unions, child labor standards....The list is long and ugly. more »

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For a long time, Corporate Democrats have taken advantage of organized labor to mobilize voters for them and fund their campaigns. However when big votes come up against powerful corporate interested, these Democrats continually abandon organized labor on key issues like the public option, Employee Free Choice Act, trade agreements, and other issues important for working people. more »

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