20,000 Union Members Respond to Call for Day of Community Service

Posted By James Parks January 16, 2009

Responding to President-elect Barack Obama’s call to pay tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. by giving back to their communities, more than 20,000 AFL-CIO union volunteers in 41 cities will provide services to those in need this weekend and on Jan. 19—the official King holiday.

The projects range from giving out free meals to cleaning up blighted areas, distributing warm clothes and repairing dilapidated structures.  

One of the biggest union community service projects is in New Orleans, where more than 500 union members, including participants in the annual AFL-CIO [1] King Day celebration, are performing more than 20 projects Thursday and Friday, including repairing an African American museum, churches and homes in St. Bernard Parish. 

Some 200 volunteers in Washington, D.C., will join with the [2] Metropolitan Washington (D.C.) Council and district City Council member Harry Thomas to help clean up the Trinidad/Langston community on Jan. 19. The workers also will provide a unique service by leaving door hangers at each home in the neighborhood that list contact information where people in economic distress can get help with utility bills and other needs.

Obama and his family, along with Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, are set to officially launch the “Renew America Together” initiative on Jan. 19, by also taking part in community service activities in Washington.

Among other projects, the Tucson, Ariz., central labor council and United Way will serve free breakfasts to the needy, and workers will repair a homeless shelter for veterans in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Says AFL-CIO President John Sweeney: 

In these difficult economic times, union members know that it’s more important than ever to come together as communities and help one another. That’s why we’re rolling up our sleeves and volunteering in our neighborhoods across the country.

Congress initiated the Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day in 1994 as part of the King holiday celebrations. Since then, many local union movements have regularly participated in the annual national volunteer event.

Union members have a strong commitment to improving their communities and giving something back, says Metropolitan Washington Council President Jos Williams.

It’s not surprising that thousands of us will spend our holiday working for others. That’s what the union movement stands for—working for the collective good. It’s what solidarity is all about. We come together where there is a need.

From AFL-CIO NOW BLOG: http://blog.aflcio.org

Members of the 111th Congress were sworn in yesterday, and thanks to your hard work, we have a strong pro-working family majority in both the Senate and House. With our economy in a severe downturn due to catastrophic mismanagement by President Bush and his allies in Congress, we are fortunate to have strong congressional advocates for a true economic recovery package that works for all of America's workers, not just the wealthy few.

The economic mess that Bush is leaving behind needs immediate attention, and Congress must act fast to rebuild our economy and create new jobs by investing in our crumbling infrastructure and providing much-needed aid to states working to balance their budgets. President-elect Barack Obama has outlined a two-year approximately $800 billion investment and recovery package that accomplishes these goals. We are supportive of the magnitude of this plan, and we expect Congress to turn his outline into legislation.

Conservatives in Washington and their Big Business allies are going to voice their standard complaints about these financial expenditures. But rescuing our economy depends on taking big steps, and frankly the Republicans in Congress have little credibility on these issues right now. After eight years of Republican rule in Washington, our federal debt has almost doubled to more than $10.5 trillion. The ongoing financial crisis is a direct result of their policies and lack of oversight of the financial services industry.

As Congress begins developing a final economic recovery package, we will be in touch. One thing is certain—even with friends in Congress we will need your help to ensure that this bill is the beginning of a reinvestment in the American people, not just another corporate handout.

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