Progressive Democrats of America Joins New National Jobs For All Coalition For Hill Briefing

WASHINGTON - July 8, 2014 - PRLog -- Progressive Democrats of America will participate in a Hill briefing and national strategy discussion on how to create jobs at livable wage for all Americans who want to work; but find themselves unemployed for long periods of time, experiencing homelessness, hunger, and soul killing poverty.

The briefing will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, July 9, 2014, from 10:30:00am-12:30pm in 2226 Rayburn building.  The purpose of the national strategy meeting and Congressional briefing is to bring together scores of local, state, and national organizations and Members of Congress to discuss how to move forward together the jobs for all political agenda as soon as possible.

Andrea Miller, co-executive director of the PDA, issued the following statement:

“PDA is fully committed to pressuring and educating Members of Congress to pass a 21^st Century New Deal; a new jobs for all program that will allow every American who wants to work an opportunity to do so at a livable wage. We have a jobs emergency in America; this is a very serious crisis that must be addressed now by our elected officials.

PDA plans on organizing town hall meetings across the nation  with unemployed and underemployed citizens, and invite Members of Congress, local and state officials, and the press so they can fully understand the pain and hardships that result from being unemployed. We feel this is the best way to create a sense of urgency, so Congress and local governments will act now to pass jobs for all legislation.

We have schools that need to be rebuilt, affordable housing that must be constructed or renovated, and a crumbling infrastructure that must be fixed before our bridges, roads, and underground water pipes collapse and endanger the American people. Scores of environmental green jobs can be created right now, by building and installing solar panels, light rail, bike paths, child care, assisting senior citizens, building wind farms, electric cars, electric batteries, and retrofitting homes and businesses that are more energy efficient.

PDA is committed to creating an America where all citizens are guaranteed jobs and a viable safety net, so as nation can have guaranteed “household stability.” When you lose a job, you should still have access to housing, food, health care, and education.  It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the only way America can become a moral nation—to be a country that sincerely cares about the left out, the forgotten, and the marginalized. PDA strongly supports Rep John Conyer’s jobs for all bill HR 1000, because it would put America back to work now.”

Joel Segal of PDA North Carolina, a former senior legislative assistant to Rep. Conyers from 2000-2013, and now co-executive director of Housing And Employment Charlotte, NC, stated, “I work every day in several inner city neighborhoods in Charlotte where the unemployment rate can be as high as 40 percent-- which is at Great Depression levels of unemployment. I truly believe the root cause of crime, mass incarceration, drug sales, drug treatment, gun violence, homelessness, foster care placements, and high school drop-out rates are primarily due to skyrocketing rates of unemployment and underemployment in our nation’s inner cities. Clearly, it would be much more cost effective and humane for America to put everybody to work who wants a job at a livable wage. You can provide a job for $45,000 to $50,000 per year for somebody who wants to work; or spend over $80,000 a year for an unemployed person to stay locked up in a prison cell doing absolutely nothing productive.” Lets put America back to work!