UNITED WE STAND (Attacks on America)

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Product:	Attacks on America
Date:	18/03/02 (6 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: has brought the world together

Disadvantages: many people lost

The bombing of the Twin Towers in New York City has given us a glimpse of tremendous heroism and sacrifice. Thousands of working class volunteers selflessly laboured to dig through the debris and rubble, saving as many victims as possible. Fire fighters, ironworkers, construction workers, and emergency medical staff were the backbone of the rescue efforts. United Food and Commercial Workers collected large donations of food and water, which were then packed and shipped by postal workers, and then transported in convoys of trucks driven across the country by members of the Teamsters Union. Machinists, communications workers, merchant seamen, nurses, thousands of working people from every part of the labour movement were vitally linked to the rescue effort.

Long after the rescue efforts conclude, the impact of the bombing will continue to be felt. Many of the survivors of the World Trade Centre attack were lucky enough to escape with their lives, but not their jobs. According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, more than 100,000 workers in lower Manhattan will be unemployed as a direct result of the September 11th attack. The economic effect of these lay-offs will be felt across New York City and will also contribute to the rising national unemployment rate. According to the AFL-CIO, 527,000 US workers have been laid off since the September 11th events, including 260,000 workers in the transportation and hospitality industries.

The spirit of self-sacrifice shown by working people has not been matched by big business. Companies like Boeing, that knew they had to announce layoffs anyway, are using these tragic events as an excuse for mass layoffs. A significant number of airlines are using a contractual loophole called a "war emergency" clause. This clause states that terrorist acts can exempt employers from paying benefits.

Congress has also gotten into the act. Politicians fell over themselves to approve a $15 billion "relief p
ackage" to the airline industry, yet they simultaneously blocked legislation that would have provided nearly 140,000 laid off airline workers with some "relief" by extending unemployment benefits.

Acting quickly and without sufficiently examining the airline industry's financial records, Congress approved a package intended to help the airlines recoup lost income. Senator Peter G. Fitzgerald announced that according to airline analysts and industry testimony, the shutdown directly after September 11th cost $340 million a day. If that figure is multiplied by the four days of the shutdown, the cost should have been $1.36 billion. What did Congress give to the airline industry? $15 billion! $5 billion in cash and $10 billion in loan guarantees, and not one penny to the laid-off airline workers. The numbers don't add up. In the words of one politician, "Congress bailed out the investors and booted the sky cap."
President Bush, not to be outdone in rewarding the rich and robbing the poor, has presented a $75 billion dollar "stimulus" package.

Part of this proposal is a capital gains tax cut, giving permanent additional tax breaks to big corporations. Six out of every seven dollars of the tax cut will benefit big corporations and a tiny layer of the very wealthy.
We must not let the politicians and big business hide behind these tragic events to attack the working class. As an immediate response to the devastating effects of the September 11th attack, housing and financial compensation needs to be provided for victims and their families. We also call for a massive national jobs creation program to rebuild New York City and to ensure full employment in the county at this time of need.

These jobs should pay a living wage with full benefits and union rights. We demand that the workers not be made to pay for the stumbling economy and the September 11th events. The payment of unemployment benefi
ts should be lengthened to two years. Free high quality, single payer health care should be established for all. All in all i think a terrible tradegy like tis should of and i think has united the world in the war on terrorism.

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