Trumka: House speaker 'blackmailing' America

[cal04]

http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/20/news/economy/afl_cio_washington/index.htm

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka accused House Speaker John Boehner of blackmailing America for withholding his vote to raise the debt ceiling unless there are drastic spending cuts.

"Now we see Speaker Boehner and his colleagues engaged in a new round of blackmail with a ransom note that reads: 'Cut Medicare, dismantle the government, destroy hundreds of thousands of jobs to fund more tax cuts for the rich, or we will cause the United States to default on its debts'," Trumka said in a speech at the National Press Club on Friday.

(snip)
In a wide-ranging speech, Trumka focused on the imperiled state of the labor movement, calling it workers' "great struggle."

He compared the new onslaught against workers' rights being waged in Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio to battles over public employees rights to organize during the 1960s civil rights movement. He decried Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's attack on public employees' collective bargaining and organizing rights.

[needledriver]

1. So which is it?

Quoted from this DU thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1143691

AFL-CIO may reduce support to Democrats

Prominent labor leaders, frustrated that Democrats in Washington aren't aggressively pursuing the union agenda, are threatening to limit their campaign support for Democrats, an act that would hamper the party's bid to regain control of the House next year and keep a majority in the Senate.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka's threat of a pullback Friday was the latest warning to a party that has long relied on labor's cash and grass-roots support. If it makes good on its threat, labor probably would spend more time and money combating union-busting efforts by state officials.

"We will change the way we spend, the way we do things and the way we function that creates power for workers," Trumka said.

How does AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka expect things to improve if they don't work to help elect Democrats?

[Armstead]

2. It's the pursuit of social and economic justice regardless of party

Basically re Democrats, he said candidates will have to earn their support by actively supporting the working/middle class.

I doubt they're going to support many Republicans. But Democrats who don't stand up for workers aren't going to autonatically get their support.

Seems reasonable to me.