There were 51 senators who supported the American Jobs Act last week—a majority. It should have passed the Senate.

But even as outrage against an economy stacked against the 99 percent
spreads like wildfire across America, Congress continues to fail
workers, again and again. Last week Senate Republicans blocked
progress for workers with procedural maneuvers—and prevented the
American Jobs Act from getting a vote at all, in spite of majority
support.

This shows just how powerful the 1 percent is—the richest Americans want
tax cuts for themselves at all costs, even if it means cutting vital
public services for the rest of us.

But President Obama hasn’t given up on jobs. And neither have we.
He’s called on the Senate to pass pieces of the American Jobs Act. The
first piece is the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, which
would create or protect nearly 400,000 education jobs while preventing
the layoffs of thousands of police officers and firefighters.⁽¹⁾

Tell your senators to pass the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act now.

Most of us can’t afford to replace police on the beat with our own
private security guards—and who wants to live in the kind of society
where we would need to? The vast majority of us rely on the government
to provide education for our kids. And all of us—even the top 1
percent—need firefighters if our homes are burning.

What doesn’t Congress get? What’s so controversial about the
Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act? Republicans have
supported bills like this in the past. This bill should have
overwhelming bipartisan support.

Let’s make sure every senator knows we won’t let favored treatment for the 1 percent—like sweetheart tax breaks for Wall Street
bankers—cut teachers, police and firefighters from our communities.
Working families have far more votes than millionaires and we deserve
and rightfully demand a society that works for the 99 percent.

Tell
your senators: Let’s get this done. It’s time to get America back to
work, starting with our teachers, firefighters and police officers.

In Solidarity,

Manny Herrmann

Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

⁽¹⁾ http://democrats.senate.gov/2011/10/17/fact-sheet-teachers-and-first-responders-back-to-work-act