Main Street

This Week on Main Street – February 24, 2012

Source: crystalgreed.com via Working America on Pinterest

Welcome to Friday, Working America! We started the week by celebrating our Presidents, but by the end of the week we were cheering for the power of the people.

We had a bittersweet (temporary) end to the story about unemployment insurance: the House and Senate voted to extend UI for a full year, but included some caveats that really stink. Seth detailed the good, the bad, and the ugly of the payroll tax/UI “compromise” – notice the use of heavy quotes.

But we left the Beltway and traveled to Marcus Hook on the Pennsylvania-Delaware border, where our Field Manager Ruth Oditt told the heartbreaking story of canvassing in a town where jobs are disappearing. Her post reminds all of us of why we fight so hard for jobs: with work comes not just a paycheck, but also purpose and dignity.

So when the Florida Senate decided they wanted to slash wages for tipped workers, we went on a tear. Susan highlighted a new report showing how women are exploited by the restaurant industry, and we heard from our members all across the country about their own experiences as servers and waitstaff. Our coverage of the backlash against the ridiculous situation in Florida earned our first ever appearance on the DailyKos Recommended List.

Across the country, we covered the Journey for Justice: the Steelworkers and BCTGM workers who are marching 1,000 miles across the rust belt to raise awareness of the worker lockouts at Cooper Tire in Ohio and American Crystal Sugar in Minnesota. Just yesterday, we got the word that Cooper Tire and USW had reached a tentative agreement. While this is a great first step, the journey isn’t over, and the lockout at American Crystal Sugar continues. We’ll keep you updated with news as it happens.

Meanwhile, Matt told us how the debate over workers’ compensation in Maine is turning conservatives blue, Susan exposed the exploitation of foreign students, Tula imagined a world where everyone could take Stephen Colbert’s paid sick leave, New Hampshire got a new state rep, Richard Trumka joined Twitter, Working America joined Pinterest, and Seth basically summed up all 20 GOP Presidential Debates (spoiler alert: he wasn’t a fan).

Also, Mitt Romney loves lamp. Or something like that.

Have a great weekend, Working America!