Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka on October Jobs Report

Tuesday's election results and today's jobs numbers are a clarion
call to the next Congress that job creation and fixing our economy must
be the number one priority. With the unemployment rate stagnant at 9.6
percent, it's no wonder people are angry, frustrated and disappointed.
Despite a welcome increase of 151,000 jobs in October, nearly 15 million
Americans are still unemployed. The unemployment rate has been
essentially unchanged since May. Over 40 percent of the unemployed have
been jobless for more than six months and hundreds of thousands will
lose benefits at the end of the month.

We must move immediately to take up solutions that will rebuild
American and put people back to work. That starts by extending jobless
benefits, which, according to the Economic Policy Institute, will help
create or save 488,000 jobs. But that's only the first step.

In a post election poll commissioned by the AFL-CIO, voters want to
see action now to create jobs in the U.S., including an investment in
rebuilding roads, bridges, schools and clean energy systems. And voters
strongly support investing in jobs to maintain U.S. competitiveness
with China, India and Germany. Voters reject Republicans' proposals to
"fix the economy" - including cutting taxes on the wealthiest 2 percent
and privatizing Social Security.

The mandate is clear. It is up to Congress to act to create jobs now. The American people expect nothing less.