Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on June Employment

This morning's news that our economic recovery is stalled is a warning bell for leaders in Washington. Too many politicians are blocking desperately needed measures to create new jobs, and their actions are now prolonging the recession and putting us at risk of a double dip. Working people will not tolerate politicians who are willing to wreck the economy just to make a political point.

Our economy added only 18,000 jobs in June - this is terrible news for the more than 25 million Americans who are unemployed or underemployed. Meanwhile, the average length of unemployment is now the highest on record.

It's time for plain talk about jobs- the truth is that CEOs and the super-rich have never had it better, while American families are out of work and facing foreclosures by the millions.

Let's start with needed investments in our future, like renewing a robust Surface Transportation Act so we can put people to work fixing and modernizing our roads, highways, and bridges. Let's engage in an adult conversation about a fairer tax system - to raise the revenues we need for the services we depend on, rather than cutting budgets indiscriminately and killing jobs. Let's reform our trade policies, so we can export American-made goods and services - not jobs. Let's invest in our workforce, so we can acquire and hone the skills we need to compete in the global economy in the 21st century. This is the conversation we must have to start building a high wage, high skill economy where the middle class is strong and America thrives.