Manufacturing jobs:
Who will protect our future?

Since George W. Bush took office in 2001, the United States has lost 3 million manufacturing jobs. U.S. workers are the most productive in the world, but we need a change in government policy to keep good jobs here, now and for the future.

Where they stand:

McCain: "Some of the jobs that have left the state of Michigan are not coming back. They are not."

Obama: "We need to make sure our automakers are ready to build these next-generation vehicles right here in the United States, which is exactly what my energy plan will do."

Trade:
Who will protect our jobs?

In today's global economy, trade policy is a key issue for working families. We need a dramatic change from current policies, which are tilted toward multinational corporations and their desire to move money and jobs across borders as easily as possible, without regard for workers, communities and the environment.

Where they stand:

McCain: He voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and still thinks it was "a good idea," adding: "It's created millions of jobs. All you've got to do is go to Detroit to see the thousands of trucks lined up every day. Have people lost jobs? Yes, they have and they're going to lose jobs." He supported Bush's CAFTA treaty, along with the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA), even though it puts tens of thousands of U.S. auto jobs at risk.

Obama: On NAFTA he believes, "We should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage to ensure that we actually get labor and environmental standards that are enforced." He opposed CAFTA and the U.S.-Korea FTA, and he doesn't believe in tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas.

Health care:
Who will protect our benefits?

Working families need change in our health care system, to replace the same old failed policies which have left 47 million Americans with no insurance and the rest of us paying higher costs for less coverage.

Where they stand:

McCain: He has no plan to provide health care for all Americans. Like Bush, he relies on so-called "health savings accounts," a phony reform backed by insurance lobbyists which undermines existing employer-based policies. Under the McCain-Bush plan, Americans will face reduced benefits, higher costs and leaving millions still left without coverage. He also supports a tax on our health care benefits, which would be a huge tax increase for working families.

Obama: He has a health care plan for all Americans. Those currently insured will keep their health plans at lower cost. The uninsured, self-employed and small businesses will be eligible for a new national health plan, similar to the coverage now available to members of Congress. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of pre-existing conditions. He is opposed to a tax on health benefits.

Social Security:
Who will protect our retirement?

America's seniors have worked hard all of their lives, and they deserve a secure and dignified retirement.

Where they stand:

McCain: He calls the current system of guaranteed monthly
benefits for retirees an "absolute disgrace." He voted for Bush's plan to put Social Security funds into risky private accounts.

Obama: He supports guaranteed monthly benefits earned by
seniors. He opposes risky private accounts, which will slash benefits for seniors.

Workers' rights:
Who will protect our rights?

After eight years of a steady assault on working people, our families and our unions, we need change in Washington. The rules affecting our workplace rights have been tilted dangerously in favor of employers and against workers. A new approach is needed — not more of the same.

Where they stand:

McCain: He voted to repeal the minimum wage and against a clean pay raise for low-income workers in 2007, even though the minimum wage hadn't been raised in 10 years, while he and other members of Congress received multiple raises. He opposes the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), and believes labor law should remain the same so employers can coerce and intimidate workers to stop them from organizing and refuse to bargain in good faith. He crossed a picket line to appear on Jay Leno's TV show during the writers strike.

Obama: He voted yes to increase pay for low-income workers. He supports EFCA, to guarantee the right to organize free from employer interference or coercion. "If a majority of workers want a union, they should get a union. It's that simple," he says. He honored picket lines during the TV writers strike and opposes the use of replacement workers during strikes.

Obama confers with union activists

Barack Obama began his career as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side, helping residents solve neighborhood problems. Like any organizer, one of his first priorities is listening to the concerns of real people – and during this campaign, it's clear that Obama has been listening to what working families have to say.

In a nationwide conference call held July 31 with more than 2,500 union members, labor activists and leaders, the Democratic presidential nominee pledged to fight for the needs of working families by strengthening the economy, making health care affordable and bringing justice to the workplace.

"Everywhere I go I hear the same story: Wages are falling, good jobs are disappearing, families are losing their homes and prices on everything from fuel to food are going up and up," he said in the AFL-CIO-sponsored event.
Obama vowed to put an end to the current administration's anti-worker agenda and work with unions to fight for policies that improve workers' lives.

"We need to make sure we aren't afraid to say we need a stronger labor movement in this country," Obama.
Together, the Illinois senator added, "we can turn around America."

Obama urged passage of the Employee Free Choice Act — legislation ensuring that workers would have a free choice and fair chance to form their own unions — as an essential part of building a strong, worker-friendly economy. He promised to sign the bill if elected president.

This portion of this Web site is paid for by the UAW V-CAP (Voluntary Community Action Program), 8000 E. Jefferson, Detroit, MI 48214, with voluntary contributions from union members and their families, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.