With Labor Day 2009, here are some interesting news notes:
There are about 15 million Americans who are unemployed at this time. That is close to 10 percent of workers in the nation.
Five million people have been out of work for more than one-and-a-half years. That is the highest amount since records started being kept in 1947.
On CNN today, there was a segment about Army soldier Greg Missman. He lost his job and thus also lost health care coverage for his family, including an infant son. So, he re-enlisted in the Army primarily so he could provide health care coverage for his family. Just last week, he was killed in Afghanistan. His father was interviewed for the TV segment. Another way that Americans are trying to provide health care for their families and themselves.
In 2008, the states with the largest percentage of workers who were members of unions were: New York at 24.9 percent, Hawaii at 24.3 percent, Alaska at 23.5 percent, Washington at 19.8 percent, and Michigan at 18.8 percent. The percentage of union workers in Missouri was 11.2 percent, with 8 percent in Colorado and 7.7 percent in Wyoming. The states with the lowest percentage of union workers were: North Carolina at 3.5 percent, Georgia at 3.7 percent, South Carolina at 3.9 percent, Virginia at 4.1 percent, 4.5 percent in Texas, and 4.6 percent in Louisiana. (Statistics from the Bureau of Labor, as noted in the AARP Bulletin, Sept. 2009.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The military has long been a refuge for people whose family members have serious health problems because the health care provided them is so good. And yet some Americans claim to be afraid of "the gubmint" getting involved in health care. Quel irony!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the statistics on labor union membership in the various states: Do we see a trend? The southern states have the lowest percentages of union membership. Remember when the South used to go Democratic in every election? Remember when the Democratic party championed civil rights for African Americans and Southerners fled the party to join the Republicans? Southerners have bought the Republican lies that "celebrate" independence and keep them at the lowest rates for literacy, wages, and general health and wellbeing.