Support Full Employment

Corporate greed and Wall Street recklessness have caused the worst jobs emergency since the Great Depression.

While Wall Street and corporate profits have recovered (largely due to government bailouts), the rest of the country is still facing a crisis: high unemployment and foreclosure rates, but reduced economic security and benefits.

click here to sign a petition of support for HR5204

"The 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act", HR5204, has been introduced in congress. It sets targets for reducing unemployment rates down to 4% over the next 10 years, and establishes a fund that can be used to create good jobs if the unemployment rate stays above those targets. Funding comes from a small levy on financial speculation, so the bill adds nothing to the deficit (of course, by putting people back to work, the deficit will actually be reduced).

For more info, check out Beaver County Blue or the text of the bill.

To add your name as a supporter, click here.

Help Make Democracy Work - voter registration drive

For the first time in over 20 years, Chicago will have a new Mayor.
There will also be a largely new City Council.

* Who wins will shape the future of affordable housing, jobs, TIFs, schools and more.

* Who votes will shape who wins.

* Who registers will shape who votes.

Can you help shape history?

If you can devote 2 hours or 20, you can help make democracy work in Chicago. Thousands of low and moderate income people need to register or re-register by January 23.

Volunteers will be setting up tables at events, knocking on doors in key precincts and other activities.

Please sign up by clicking here, or let us know how you can help by emailing:

info@actionforjustice.org

The "Tax Deal" hurts millions of low income workers

Northside Action for Justice strongly supported an extension of unemployment benefits. Given that we're in a jobs emergency, emergency aid to the victims of the Wall Street speculators that crashed the economy should be a no-brainer. Congress has never cut off extended benefits when the unemployment rate was this high -- which has been above 9% for a record 20 months.

But the "Tax Deal" cut by President Obama when Republicans held everything else hostage to tax cuts for the rich (or those making over $250,000/yr) is a bad deal for seniors and for low income workers. Many groups have pointed out that reducing social security taxes helps undermine the fiscal solvency of that safety net.

But a recent analysis by the center for economic and policy research shows that, contrary to White House and media proclamations, the deal actually raises taxes on about 50 million Americans -- mostly low and moderate income taxpayers.

So 94% of those over $106,000 income will pay reduced taxes.

But 99.4% of earners under $18,000 will pay higher taxes.

Despite the importance of extending unemployment benefits, it seems like a raw deal.

A 2-Minute History of Unions

Jobless not Voiceless

Millions of Americans are jobless, but they do not have to be isolated, voiceless or faceless.

NA4J, as part of the Chicago Jobs with Justice coalition, is launching monthly potlucks, the First Wednesday of each month, for anyone that's out of work, worried about the economy, needing to find help or angry about the lack of jobs.

Wed, August 4, 5:30-7:30pm
NA4J office at Edgewater Presbyterian Church
1020 W. Bryn Mawr #310

This first potluck (don't worry if you can't bring anything to share, just come) will feature reps from the Chicago Federation of Labor's worker assistance program, who can provide direct assistance and referral to a variety of resources and support services.

Victory! Unjust eviction blocked.

In another major victory for the tenants of Northpoint Apartments, on May 11 a jury threw out the unjust eviction case against Carol Vialdores, so she and her family can stay in their Rogers Park home of 15 years.

A combined campaign of grassroots organizing and legal advocacy overcame yet another unfair eviction attempt. Ms. Vialdores, who is also a tenant activist and Northside Action for Justice member ,was targeted for eviction because she demanded respect as a tenant and was active in organizing other tenants.. She was able to get legal help from Northwestern University Law School Legal Clinic and a legal team led by John Elson. A coalition of organizations and Northpoint tenants gathered hundreds of petitions opposing the eviction. There was a press conference at the HUD building on Monday, May 3rd, and a meeting with Ed Hinsberger (the head of the HUD family housing program). At that time he said they would talk to Northpoint/Aimco about the case, but no commitment was made to stop the eviction.

Carol and her supporters continued to mobilize support and packed the courtroom for the trial. Many potential jurors said they could not, in good conscience, evict a family, so Northpoint’s lawyers kept them off the jury. On Tuesday in the late afternoon, after hearing the case and receiving clear instructions from the judge, the jury came back and decided in Carol Vialdores favor and threw the eviction out.

This case had a happy ending, thanks to the work and support of the people, the courage of Carol in standing up for her rights and a dedicated legal team. However, there is a continued pattern of abuse and mismanagement on the part of Northpoint/AIMCO that needs to be addressed and this victory (like the victory in the Bledsoe case six months ago) is part of the continued tenant organizing campaign to win respect and justice at Northpoint and for low and moderate income residents around the city.

Wall Street Influence, by the numbers

The US Senate is voting on dozens of amendments to the banking reform bill. Thousands will march in Washington, DC on Monday, demanding Wall Street reform and good jobs.

The big banks made profits - big profits - EVER SINGLE DAY of 2010, regardless of the state of the rest of the economy, and they're suing that money to fight off a recovery for the rest of us.

Here are some other numbers assembled by our friends at the Center for American Progress about why it is so important for all of us to tall our Senators to stand with the people:

$1.4 MILLION ...The amount that the finance industry is spending every day to influence Congress.

243 ...The number of government insiders turned lobbyists employed by the six big banks and their trade associations, including 202 former congressional staffers.

25 ...The number of hedge fund managers and Wall Street executives that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator John Cornyn, chair of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, met with to plot strategy for killing real reform and enhancing Republican electoral gains in the election.

$1.765 BILLION ...The total amount of tax-exempt Liberty Bonds, state and local tax breaks, and cash grants given to Goldman Sachs to build it's new $2.1 billion headquarters in New York City.

$3.3 BILLION ...Goldman's first quarter profits, meaning it could have paid the total cost for its new building all by itself using just 2 months of its profits.

4 ...The percentage of Americans who hold a positive view of Goldman Sachs, according to a new poll from NBC and the Wall Street Journal.

6 ...The number of banks now under scrutiny in a federal criminal probe. The list now includes Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and UBS.

8 ...The number of banks under scrutiny by the New York attorney general's office, in a probe examining whether the banks "duped" rating agencies by providing them with misleading information. The banks under investigation are Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Crédit Agricole, and Merrill Lynch (now owned by Bank of America).

61 days ...The number of days Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase made money trading during the first 3 months of the year-a perfect run that is "one for the record books."

$600 MILLION ...The amount that the six big banks and their trade associations have spent on lobbying, trade association activity, and political contributions since the first major federal bailout of Bear Sterns in March 2008.

18 percent ...The amount that anti-predatory lending laws can reduce foreclosure rates, according to a recent study. Unfortunately, some Senate Democrats are making a misguided push to preempt states from putting in place these and other consumer protections stronger than those in the Wall Street accountability bill.