that playing out with the year on -- year and battles, how to protect those small but important pieces of our progressive tax code, especially for low-income families? >> chuck? >> people should understand, bob, in many ways, it is the great seer of the discussion here. >> this is a huge year for low income tax credits. if you think about it, president obama made improvements in the child tax credit. if you look at the ryan budget, it would eliminate that, and at the same time, he is a pro -- he is proposing this tax cut for people making over a million dollars. right now, for a kid, for a woman working full time, if the rise but it would go into effect, she would lose $1,500.

if you are making $17,000 a year, you have at stake $1,500. that family, and millions of others like that could take a huge hit. the stake for working families, the welfare success stories that people like to point to, very high stakes in the tax debate this year. >> let's go to will for another question from twitter. >> i will use my authority as the ultimate moderator to say that we can probably just take one more question after this. richard phillips wants to know how exactly companies dodge taxes, and who are the worst offenders? >> i am not letting bob off that one. bob mcintyre. >> they dodged taxes by reporting less income than they make to the interest --

internal revenue service. they do that in a variety of ways. sometimes they move their profits to a tax haven in a warm, caribbean place. sometimes congress passes a law that they can report less than they make. by taking write-offs for expenses they do not have. sometimes it gives them a credit against their taxes for research they do not do. that is how they pay less. the reason, in this report we put out a while ago, that some pay more and some others nothing, there are more loophole that they can use. some of them have not paid taxes for 10 years even though they reported tens of billions in profits. >> do we need more auditors? >> we need fewer loopholes, which meet -- means we need a better congress. >> then you have campaign finance reform -- >> no, we just need a better

congress. >> one thing that has become increasingly important. private equity, when something is taken over by private equity, they tend to borrow large amounts of money against the company. then they pay interest payments. that is all tax-deductible. typically, a company in private equity pays much less in taxes than if you have the same company as a public company. that is one reason why public companies are paying less. >> two quick questions. i know we are winding down. we have some that there. thank you. >> brian roberts, on the ada fund board. one of the big expenditures is, obviously, education. public education. one of the big inequities, of course, is proper taxes is what funds schools. -- property taxes is what funds to schools. i would like to hear about

different options for k-12. you also have states that are strapped. higher education at the public level is also suffering in the same way. >> terrific. thank you. i am going to have my microphone master scramble up this way and we are going to get one last question and then we will take most of the questions -- both of the questions. a round of applause for dan's work on the microphone here. could you stand up? >> mr. latham said that there were a number of individuals that were in favor of raising the estate tax. i wonder if there is any consensus about what they want a number to be? are they thinking about some other number? >> i am going to parts of these up bigger we have a few minutes. you have been a wonderful audience. great questions.

our twitter fans, great questions as well. we asked a few minutes ago about state and local taxes. property tax is something, by and large, run at state level. but are there ways, as we talk about a federal policy debate, that we can begin to address education funding? should we? and what is the most equitable way to make sure that our schools are funded adequately? does somebody have a notion on this? bob is smiling slightly. >> is an interesting question. some states on the more of their education through taxes other than property taxes. they're generally known as southern states. not spend much in education. that is possibly an advantage to the property tax. people see it as going to their kids or their neighbors' kids, and they're willing to pay it. it is certainly not the world's most progressive tax, the most

regressive either, but this kind of ownership people have over it the schools seems to be a factor in increasing education spending. >> some states to try to move the money from wealthier districts to poorer areas, -- >> some states get away with it. va does it. hardly any complaining. i do not know how we do it. >> the mason-dixon line is the rappahannock river. >> it keeps moving south. >> the estate tax. mike, where are you going with that? >> most people want to see the exemption of about $1 million more than they have. i literally found this to be true. when we started this work in 2000, actually, there was a repeal of the estate tax that had passed both houses and then clinton veto the repeal.

then bush made it sort of the engine of his tax cuts in 2001. we turned it into the caboose, and have kept it there, with a lot of pressure. there are a lot of groups out there, 78 organizations, citing a letter -- signing a letter. we are working within mcdermott legislation, and jim mcdermott from washington, suggesting $1 million per person, $2 million per couple. fighting that is quite a lot of money. people on the coasts, in california and on the east coast, some of the big cities where property valley gets to $1 million pretty quickly, feel like that is too low. certainly, we do not need to be $5 million, $3.5 million per person, $7 million per couple. and what is the right? is it going to be as low as 35%

now or go back to a 45% rate and then have it graduated above that? and then hopefully indexed for inflation, which is a key thing. this is how we got into this mess. we still have a gradual estate tax that a lot of people paid. then as wealth went up, that did not change at all. now it just kicks in immediately at 45%. i would like to see it go lower and start more gradually. that is perhaps a dream. >> thank you. just to wrap up, i want to go around the panel and give people a last moment to give us a bill, proposal, idea, that they ought to think should be in the mix of our system. >> can i read a story instead? we launched a tumblr blog where

there are wealthy people in the 1% that say they are standing with the 99%. it is amazing. people wrote pictures of themselves with a sign. one is from -- i would just read it. i made millions studding the map of mortgages and bonds and helping bankers pass the chartered financial analysts exam. it is not fair that i have retired incumbered after working with that instruments welcome to work as nurses, teachers, soldiers, etc. are worried about paying for their future, healthcare, and children's educations. they are the backbone of this country and allow me to succeed. i'm willing to pay more in taxes so that everyone can afford to secure future, like i do. i am the one%, i stand with the 99%, which equals 100% of america. tax me. [applause] this is a blog started by young

people, but people all over the country have signed on. one more brief piece from a younger man. i made more than i need after a couple of years of hard work. now i am giving back, but i cannot do it on my own. i need government help to reduce to be my wealth. tax me. the message i wanted to leave everybody with is, this is a moment. people on this panel know a lot more than me about the political moment and the opportunities, but this is -- people are talking about a movement moment. there are people who are waking up and listening to the message that occupy has popularized in different ways. there are people who will back this legislation, moving forward. >> where can people find what you were just reading online? >> westandwiththe99percent.org. >> i would ask people in the

audience and policy makers, when they hear tax reform, keep two things in mind. first, the country has huge budget deficits in the future and will make some gut wrenching choices. it is more about the revenue than it is about the reform. the very large budget deficit is because the folks on wall street where running up a huge bubble and wrecked the economy perry we have an obligation to give back to them. and we should give back a nice speculation tax.

>>dean baker, mike lapham, >> we are not investing as a country. the 02 fair economy.org/open letter. it covers these topics. >> the ultimate entrepreneur all excess. rebecca. >> rohrabacher -- of the preferential rates from capital gains. that has contributed to any quality in the last 15 years. we have to get rates equalized on that income. >> our friend bob mcintyre -- >> just google citizens for tax justice. i must have said what ever you are thinking.

[laughter] >> we have had a terrific panel. we have covered more turf today, more important tariff then all sessions of congress. i want to leave you with a quote from 111 years ago --"the people have been promised equal unjust taxation for years and have borne repeated disappointments and delays in the fulfilment of those promises with great fortitude but their patience is not limit less." thank you so much for joining us. >> let's hear it for the green team. [applause] >> i just want to thank everyone for coming out and i want to direct your attention to the back of your program. this as an event sponsored by her sister organization, americans for democratic action. it is a rally happening on tax day. if you like to come out and express the idea that paying taxes is patriotic and that real tax reform involves making

sure everyone pays their fair share, we invite you to join you can go to stop the pledge.org viewer watching at home. if you want to learn more about adaedfund.org. keep your eyes on the tax issue. it will be a hot one. thank you very much. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> this afternoon, national telecommunications and affirmation head laurence strickling. >> tonight, we will bring you a

panel of reporters who covered some of the last year's biggest stories, including the uprising in bahrain. >> we started following the protesters, and everything was normal. then the crackdown started. it came in waves. they would crack down and pull back. at a certain point there was a defining moment when there was the final crackdown when saudi arabia was invited into bahrain by the ruling family of bahrain, and they did mass arrests and started arresting everyone that was associated with the democracy protests, and some of them were tortured to death. that is when it became very difficult to work in bahrain. >> we will hear from the reporter who broke the penn state sex abuse scandal. >> even though the facts came

back, many newspapers said they would never run that story even if we had it. people told that to me and to my boss. they were clear. the city you ruin that guy's life if he is not charged. we always said he -- we did not say he was guilty, we said he was under investigation. if it does not lead to charges, we would write that, too, but more than one alleged victim has come forward. still, a lot of news organizations did not want to touch it. >> later, officials from facebook and other technical companies talk about government getting in the way of innovation in their field. >> if you look to the people in the u.s. house and senate, i think by a generous count 35 of

them have a background in science or engineering, and half of them are living in the middle ages, do not understand that when turbine's do not work when the wind is not blowing. >> april 15, 1912, nearly 1500 perished on the ship called on unsinkable. >> they strike the bells three times, which is a warning that there is an object ahead of the ship. it does not say what kind of object. after they struck the ball, he went to a telephone to call down to the officer to tell them what they saw. when the phone was answered, the entire conversation was -- what do you see? the response was icebergs right

ahead. the response from the officer was, thank you. >> the troops and them this -- of the truths and the myths from that night. this weekend and c-span 3. >> next, a discussion on labor issues and the economy. in about 40 minutes we hear from labor secretary hilda solis. before her remarks union officials discussed jobs and collective bargaining. this was hosted by the national action network. >> thank you for putting this on. we are running a little behind. we will get into this as

quickly as possible. we will talk today about of lead per cent in collective bargaining. they're each going to have a couple of minutes to explain to their union is, who they represent, what their workers do and where they are. i am first going to introduce the secretary treasurer of the american federation of state, county and municipal employees. his union represents 1.6 million workers. he grew up in a union hall in cleveland. he starred with his union in in 1978. why don't you tell us a little bit about your union and what your workers de? >> who was a union member? a lot of you know about some of this information that we will be presenting.

i am 1.6 million members strong. we represent employees oliver the country. local governments, hospitals, independent providers, we even have a small portion of federal workers that we represent. a very active union. very active politically and legislatively. we're very active in organizing. many of you may know this, but we have a rich and proud history. we were born in madison, wisconsin. isn't it ironic that we were born in madison, wisconsin and workers got together to talk about the importance of joining a union and having their voices heard? in 2012, we are battling a governor named scott walker

betook collective bargaining away from us. -- who took collective bargaining away from us. we have a hard history of working a partners over this country whether it is the students or retirees. we believe we built a mainstream movement to deal with the challenges and issues that confront 95 americans right now. in mid is an linzie #1968, we recognize -- in memphis, tenn. in in 1968, we recognize this. there are fighting for dignity and respect and the right to be heard. were it ironic that we fighting that fight in the mid- 1930's? we're fighting it in 1968 when

martin luther king gave his life to support city workers. we are still fighting that battle. we have come a long way. we have a long way to go. we've got folks that are trying to take our freedoms, democracies, and right away from us. we have to join together like never before. we have to close ranks like never before. we have got to make our voices heard. this is what the labor movement is doing. that is what the civil-rights movement must do. we have to take our country back. thank you. >> thank you.

[applause] tom is the presence of the international association. he is the son of a member and became a steward at age 20. he represents more than half a million members. if you're following the news, he may have seen is union turned up in the news. why didn't you tell us a little bit that's >> thank you. it is an honor to be here and to be a participant in this great event taking place. i would like to thank all of the organizers for bringing people together. i am glad to be here joining my partners on this panel. several of them are fellow but guys -- buckeyes and weaker of together in ohio.

we have about 700,000 members. we service workers in the aerospace industry, certainly manufacturing. we have a large contingent of federal employees. when you see a space shuttle or a rocket launch, it it is an ima member whose figure is on the button that powers the vehicle. it was one of the original unions there. it was designated by president franklin roosevelt. it was to be one of the union services. we are an old union, founded in

atlanta georgia. today it is a large union that is very diverse. large female population. the ethnicity of all our members span every background found on the planet. we are very proud of that. unionsne of the original to support the foundation of the naacp. i have been informed on employment. whether it is human rights or our right to exist in speak our mind. these are the fights we engage in willingly. we run to those fights, not away. we are glad to be here and participating with all you.

[applause] >> in me is a secretary of communication workers. -- annie is a secretary of communication workers. she's been a member since 1976 when she worked as a technician for northwest. >> i just want to say it is a great pleasure to be here. i think everyone for putting on this great conference. communication workers of america is a very diverse union, was founded in in 1947. as a woman, i am very proud that the backbone of the first organizing effort was telephone operators. it has become much more diverse

since then. we have our union claim out of the telephone industry. over the years, it has very much diversified. while we have a large contingency of people working, we also represent people in the media sector. people work in passenger service in the airline industry. we have a manufacturing group. we also represent a large contingency of public workers, primarily at the state and local levels. we are a very diverse union. we are primarily in the states. we do have a new paper guild people in the eastern canadian provinces. bac makes us -- that makes us an international union. we're very involved politically

and on the organizing front. we have had a great organizing victory in cable television, which is predominantly non- union. reverend sharpton played a key role. he came and visited our workers. we're very proud of our relationship. we are very involved in building a movement across this country. we know that labor unions cannot do it by themselves. we are partnering with progressive allies with students and faith based groups. many of you have heard about the 99% trading going on across this country, trying to create a larger group of people who are more educated about what is going on in this country,

especially about the huge in the quality of what we are facing. we have your and your people that have more people that have less. that is a lot of what we are back, trying to equalize that. -- of what we are about, try to equalize that. i look forward to the discussion. thank you. [applause] >> next up is the secretary- treasurer for the service employees international union. he came to the u.s. from mexico when he was 10 years old. it came with his mother and siblings. he is a great member of the team. he organized along cesar chavez united farm workers. he is known as an outspoken advocate of comprehensive immigration reform. >> thank you.

thank you for inviting me to be here with you to share some information and experiences. let me say how important it is to talk about labor. what i am more interested in is what is happening to america. what we have is a huge attack that is going on right now. it is an attack on women's rights and fergus rights. -- and workers' rights. we are going to be the first generation that is going to see the next generation inherit a country with less opportunity than the ones our parents left us. we are interested in participating a discussion.

this is 2.1 million members. we represent workers also in the public sector. everything from police officers to social workers to highway workers to everything in between. health-care workers that work in hospitals. doing home care, and taking care of the elderly and the disabled. we also represent properties service workers, janitors, security officers. we are blue collar, a pink collar, and no caller. we are men and women. we are african-american. latino. we are gay and straight. we are young and not quite so young. we look like america. we share a lot of the same problems that are facing

everyone in this country. part of its is we are also the largest union of immigrant workers. we have members that come from all parts of the world's to this country. it this was the land of opportunity. did they came for their piece of the dream. we have members from africa, asia, latin america. in our union we speak over 100 languages. for us, the issue of immigration reform is a key issue. it impacts our members who are undocumented workers and every worker. you cannot have a 11 million workers in the shadows without any rights and have that not impact every single worker. i want to thank reverend sharpton for leading this. i was very proud to join in the

march and march in the footsteps -- [applause] >> i was very part -- proud to march in the footsteps of great men and women who fought for equal rights and making sure that everyone in this country had the same rights and opportunities. thank you so much for your leadership. discussion. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. francine is the executive vice president of the american federation of teachers. she runs they know shall live behind tax for. she is a licensed speech pathologist. >> thank you. you will notice that loretta

johnson was to be here. she is our secretary-treasurer. you know i am not lauretta. she's not here because her brother in law passed away. i am very sad about that. i am glad i have an opportunity to be here and participate in this panel. i come from toledo. the last 15 years i was present of the toledo association of teachers. now as an officer, it is a wonderful opportunity to engage nationally. the american federation wants to have -- has 1.5 million members strong. we represent professors and graduate employees.

our present came to toledo. they were touring the country talking about the connection between civil rights and the labor movement. they came there ohio at a very important time. we were fighting and successfully beat senate bill 5 that would have taken away collective bargaining rights and the rights of employed workers. they came and that was civil- rights leaders. they had a great discussion with high school students. when you look at the jobs at that we have today compared to

what other unions were fighting so hard to push, it is really clear that there are two very different visions for our country right now. those of you at breakfast heard that articulated. you have the president's job at, which is meant to provide much-needed resources that would create construction jobs, put teachers back in classrooms, improve the infrastructure in our communities and improve thousands of children's school buildings. you have the so-called jobs at signed into law that does not do these things. it took probably hurt the economy by deregulating wall street in taking away investor protections that keep workers from becoming the victims. the kind of fraud that cost enron workers their retirement savings.

this is the kind of pro- corporate, anti-worker thinking we have been seeing over the last couple of years on tax collector bargaining in states like ohio. we are seeing an attack on our most vulnerable citizens. this should not be happening in our united states. i was raised as a daughter of a steelworker. i understand we need to encourage companies to start hiring. we do not want to discourage growth and innovation. if we want to have a better future for our kids, we have to invest in their future. that is why affiliate's around the country works so hard to

promote the real jobs act. it would provide funds to prevent layoffs and modernize school buildings, pay for jobs for our youth, and support the infrastructure jobs that will put hundreds of thousands of construction workers to work. it amazes me that there are so many forces who are determined to keep working people down. these politicians will say it is limited government. what we are really talking about is limited voice. there's no economic reason to take away collective bargaining rights or to push hard for voter suppression. we know we cannot fight these political battles on our own. we cannot do it with money. our strength and our success has always been the passion and

voice of our members and allies alike you in the ability to mobilize. the other side knows that too. let's focus on how we can continue to work together as unions and communities to expose those groups and people working so hard to protect the 1% by taking power and resources away from the rest of us. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. collective bargaining has clearly been a very contentious issue over the last year or two. in wisconsin, we had seen its strip workers of their collective bargaining rights. we saw a similar law in ohio later voted down. we have seen a right to work

path. with this environment, i would like to ask our panelists how you make a case for collective bargaining right now when it seems to be under such a large attack. tell us why collective bargaining is so important and what happens when groups of workers lose. >> collective bargaining gives us the ability to sit down at the table and to be treated fairly and equally by negotiating over wages and conditions. if you look at those who are trying to take collective bargaining away from us, they are in ohio. they are friends and allies of the same people who are trying to take our voting rights away. they are attacking women's rights, and the same people.

this is why it is so important for us. we may have some differences. be played by the rules every single day. our members are being used and sacrifice. we cannot let that happen. wisconsin, state of the governor did take away collective bargaining. we did not bury our heads in the sand. we fought back. we fought back and worked in coalition with our community partners. we fought back. we made our voices heard. we targeted four senators for a recall the supported the intent

to steal a collective bargaining away from us. he did. we recall two senators. did this year we still have not stopped. we are recalling the governor. in june we will recall him and he will be out of office along with the lieutenant governor. we have to continue to build our salvation. under the constitution you cannot recall the ohio constitution. you can have a referendum. we went to the citizens of in of ohio. we collected over 1.3 million signatures. all we needed was 250,000. we put it on the ballot in november and guess what? we beat them by a two-one margin. this is what it is all about.

[applause] sometimes it takes a bat over the head to wake us up. we have to understand what is going on in this country. it is economic and class warfare. when you have the one term it tinting to gain more power and wealth at the expense -- 1% attempting to gain more power and wealth at the expense of others, that is a problem. they think this is extravagant. gimme a break. we cannot be a country that rushes to the bottom. we have to be a country that moves forward. my parents taught me that your life should be better than the life that we have. right now that is not happening. we cannot take it anymore.

we have to come together. [applause] >> while we are talking about public sector work, we see workers of all kinds often demonized by the right. they like to blame public- sector unions for budget problems. how to make the case to regular folks that unions are important to the working class tax those that are protecting the narrow interests of the wealthy and the privilege are out to divide us. part of that strategy is to separate the public sector workers.

you're doing this in order to gain their viewpoint. many of you know a teacher. he had teachers and your family or you can think about and the name quickly pull the teeth sure that made a difference in your life. -- and quickly the teacher that made a difference in your life. it is a stable income, and a decent a dignified retirement. as that erodes, and the middle

class erodes. the buying power erodes and the stability of communities. we had used collective bargaining not just for the traditional kinds of wages, health care, a pension, but we took to the table proposals to improve schools. the spot light goes on teachers because there are those that do not want the spotlight to go on those that are not providing

the financial resources that are not distributing in an equitable way resources so that all children have equity in education. it is easier to sign it on teachers. we must work together to defeat those who want to suppress us. thank you. >> people think that when we negotiate we are just negotiating for ourselves and benefiting our members. workers are able to negotiate a fair share of the wealth they

help to produce. if you leave it to the employers on their own to have the complete authority to decide whether workers are going to get a pay raise, a halt care, pensions, whether they will have any other benefits, history shows us that that never happens. it is a very small metal class. -- it was a very small middle- class. when the labor class began to organize , workers were able to negotiate. that created the middle class. it was not just the workers that benefit it.

when we go out and negotiate, that money recirculates to the community. they may go to a movie. and they may go buy a car. that all recirculates. it benefits everybody. when workers are poor, that community is pork. it is not -- is poor. it does not do as good to have a bunch of billionaires' because they are not the ones going out supporting our community stores. we have seen a lot of places we did see what happened to those towns. these communities suffered. the other thing i would say, we

have this problem of wealth and distribution. the well in this country is concentrated more and more on the top and the middle class is shrinking again. we have a situation that is with a tax system that allows for corporations like ge and wells fargo to pay no taxes. each and everyone of us pays more taxes than ge. how is that fair? what we need is a tax system where everyone pays their fair share. the we will not have a problem with the school budget or the state budget. [applause]

>> i just wanted to piggyback on what he said. what happened in wisconsin and ohio fell through the sky. it did not. this change has been happening for a long time. especially on the private sector, the union density has been dropping for years. it peaked in the late '70s. it as been on a decline ever since. this not just that the dodd said disappeared. the went overseas. many of those communities have been decimated. then the telecommunications

industry, how many of you have called to connect phone service or a lot of things? to you think you're talking to someone in this country? no. that is jobs. when you take jobs out of this country, this is what has created a lot of the issues. if the government in the position in cases where you wanted to make that by humans. and then they turned a argument around. they blamed it on public sector employees. they did not really addressed the real problem. we do not have enough jobs in this country. that action get tax incentives to move it out. how about if we got tax incentives in the country to rebuild the countries?

i think that labor cannot do this. we really have to rise up out of the ashes and fight for that distribution of wealth and maintain the middle-class and build a stronger economy. workers and people in this country have rights in the right to have a good lifestyle. [applause] >> i hope you can talk a little bit about right to work. if you could tell us a bit of a unionized worker for a company might boeing and what they would make. can you tell us a bit about why you think is right to work measures are popping up of what

you think they can do to workers in the state? >> having had the fortune, i do not think it was good or not, to be the president of a large union who took on the largest exporter in the world for punishing their employees for exercising a right to strike in seattle and portland and wichita in 2008, they said they would build a new plant in south carolina where they have right to work laws. we can pay them less. we do not have to provide health-care benefits. to take that on as a violation of law and wonder if our government will stand behind the workers of america who chose the union and to exercise their rights to collectively bargain, was a real stretch. we found a person who should be given a presidential medal of

freedom for the relations board. they took on the leadership of both political parties in america. they went ahead and made that case and forced the boeing company to deal with the issue on how they're going to treat people in sites that have a union and where we can get job security and the commitment for 20-30 years down the road all the projects would be done at those plants. at no time do we ever proposed closing down that new site at north carolina despite what the press said. that issue of collective bargaining and the right to work sums it up as to what that experience was about we see governors of politicians and presidential candidates attacking public-sector unions as the cancer upon society that

is going to drive american down. nothing could be further from the truth. they fear the power of people who might belong to a union. especially in public sector where they are connected closely with the economy of their states and their existence. on the private sector, which is the largest part of the union i represent, we know that if they beat down the workers in public sector, we are next in line. that is why we saw indiana becoming a right to work place. and in other places it is cropping up. it is the second wave of attacks upon working people. and in a funny kind of way, it is our government. and it does not matter. i am an equal opportunity criticize our of the political parties we have.

because what i see my brothers and sisters in the public sector trying to fight against is a result of a thing called the regulation. -- deregulation. we deregulated health care, transportation. my favorite is the banking system. and what a great experience america has lived through by the deregulation of this nation. thus, we were blamed. the reason we have to be regulate is to make it easier to send our jobs overseas. and we got blamed for being the competition. deregulation now has found its way into right to work. they are making us feel like we are guilty of something we are not. we are the protectors of this society. where we come into play in the attack on right to work, the

attack on people's rights as citizens, their voting rights, it is all one big attack. on america. and both parties have some culpability in the state we are in today. i would hope as we move through conferences just like this one, we find ways to unite people once again, like the civil rights community and the labor community. in the 1960's, i lived through that. i was a kid. i watched labor unions marched hand-in-hand with the civil rights seekers. and we stayed hand-in-hand until we pass laws and the president signed it. 1965 and the civil rights act and the voting rights act, and then we let go of each other's hands and went our separate ways and declared victory. and that killed us. we've got to get our hands back together again so that never again does the 1%, or the politicians, figure they can

divide the nation that is united. [applause] >> in a little bit we are going to take some questions from the audience. but first, we will hear from the labor secretary, hilda solis, who is here with us. [applause] [laughter] let's thank the panel and give them a hand. [applause] let me say it is probably no more important to us that the state where labor in this country is, and clearly, its alliance with the right to movement in general and in particular.

leigh saunders has a real commitment to reuniting labor. so goes labor and so goes our community. everyone talks about the 1960's, but very few people realize that the 1960's would not have happened had we not had this alliance of labor and civil rights. this is why it is very important that we reestablished and realign that. also, i think the present administration under president obama has been very committed to that. i think that one of the first things we saw as a result of the

2010 election is that the right wing went after the right to unionize. this is a civil rights. one of those who fought this battle to protect workers and to protect the job market was the secretary of labor. ever since she has been in office, we had nothing but complete access to her. she and i were just laughing. she has been attacked for even marching with us. you would think she was marching on somebody. [laughter] we had a re-enactment of dr. king's march 4 voting rights that got us the right to vote that we all participated in, and because we said had we not had this march in 1965, then many of us would not have had the right to vote. we formed a coalition and we re- enacted the march.

and we marched 11 miles a day from selma to montgomery. we also raise the immigration, the right to work. and secretary solis came down because she said it was that march in 1965 that gave her the right to vote, and women the right to vote. it helped reinforce that. it shows you how desperate they are. i'm sure there will have a picture of her today and it will look like she is holding of a barricade rather than at a convention center. it gives you a picture of her commitment that even though she is distorted, she is here, because she knows what she

believes and she knows how she wants to serve the american people, all the american people. thehappy to present to you labor secretary of the united states, the hon. hilda solis. [applause] >> thank you. and good morning. bien venidos to all of you and especially to my brothers and sisters who have joined the convention. and i want to thank the rev. for that great introduction, and i also want to thank him for keeping it real. that is right, keep it real, reverend. [applause]

i want to thank him for leaving the network in the spirit of the civil rights movement. but before i begin, i want to recognize every single person in this room and in attendance at this convention. that includes business leaders, community leaders, allies, advocates, and yes, my union brothers and sisters. and what i want to know is, is later in the house? [applause] and i want to thank you deeply for working alongside president barack obama and his administration. and i want to thank you for being the change agents you are, helping our communities day in and day out. i cannot tell you what a pleasure and honor it is to be with you this morning. the last time, as you know, i

saw the rev. al, we were out marching. and i was proud to march on that warm, sunny day in alabama, and i felt right at home. i cannot tell you how good i felt. we marched, as we say in spanish, mon y mono, hand in hand, arm in arm. i'm happy to be here with my brothers and sisters to show that we are the civil rights movement because all of us in america have gained from that. i saw dan here with all of us -- i stood with all of them and i cannot tell you how proud i am to be there. in addition to my friends from california who came out, and at the tender age of 82, the lords what was there to represent the people in the field who still work with their parents picking our fruit, taking care of the american fruit and vegetable baskets for all of the people in this country and around the world.

i want you to give them a round of applause. [applause] each of us came together on that occasion to walk for different reasons, but most importantly, it was to honor those who faced violence and injustice who marched on the same trail we were on 47 years ago. we marched for respect, for minorities, for senior citizens, and for, yes, the right to vote and to be heard. and we marched for health care and for safer workplaces and for fair wages and for dignity and

respect in the workplace. and we did not forget about marching for our young people, who are right now experiencing a high rate of unemployment. it is ridiculous in a country that is so bountiful. and we fought for education, because we know that with good education will come good jobs. and i know that many of us here march toward our immigrant brothers and sisters. i as a daughter, first generation of immigrants who came to this country years ago with their sweat and tears to try to have the best for their children experience the american dream, to have a taste of that apple pie that welcomes people here to this country because people do not come here always with a silver spoon in their mouth. they come here because they know they have to come with hard work. and with sacrifice. and that is exactly what on harrington did and taught me. i was so proud of them and i was proud to be marching with other brothers and sisters in alabama before the same reasons we are here today. there are so many things that have happened in our country over the past decade. and one that hits home for a lot of us is that we know there are some doing very well in this country. and you see those that are not doing very well.

is that haves and have-nots. but we marched in selma and montgomery in alabama because we know when we have strength when we work together. solidarity helps create that basket. we know when we rise and fall as one community, we know that we have a lot that we can do if we come together as one nation. these are fundamental issues that all of you know about. i cannot emphasize how hard it is right now, the fact that we are going through some hard economic times, especially in our communities of color, especially where there is high unemployment. i know this is unforgivable, what we are going through. this is worse, perhaps in some ways, for some of our young people and for some of us because we did not experience the great depression, like my father did.

but he shared so many stories of when he went through the great depression in the united states in los angeles. i know there are still a lot of families that are hurting still today. i see those families when i go out on the road and i talked to people. and i know how our economy can come back and i realize that all of us have our own way of making a difference in this country. i know the president believes that. that is why he is putting forward an agenda that says he wants to see an america, an america that helps every single one of us, not those that are privileged, not those that can afford fancy lawyers and lobbyists, but people, everyday people. and america, as he said that, that is built to last for every single one of us, for our children and grandchildren. president obama has said that in the face of our challenges we will have to answer is central question as a country. can we succeed in a country

where shrinking numbers of people do increasingly well, while a growing number struggle to get by? and that number is small. or are we better off when everyone gets the same shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same rules? that is what is at the heart of this national debate that the president has brought us into. and on the other side of the aisle. because this is where we know we have to go. we have to have this discussion. and we still have a lot more to do to make sure that every person, every individual in every community -- and i mean every community -- is thriving. that is why the president has invested millions of dollars into job training programs. and especially into vulnerable communities like ours, african- american, latino, asian, low income white as well.

he has called on employers, community organizations and community colleges to come together and provide direct and meaningful pathways that lead to good, paying jobs. in my department, the department of labor, we continue to have -- invest in job training directives, particularly in low- income and underserved communities. and i am proud of our veterans. and i'm talking about those men come back at higher rates of unemployment, that come from those neighborhoods. they are coming back right now thinking, where is my next job going to be? will i have a roof over my head? will my family be able to bring me in? i have met with some of them already and i am disheartened because i find them in shelters. their own families cannot take them in because their families are struggling.

what has happened to us? i know we have to do more. we have to help women, particularly women of color, who still do not make the same rate of pay as a comparable man does. she makes 70 cents on the dollar for african-americans. it is about -- she makes 70 cents on the dollar. for african-americans is about 60 cents. and for letty that is about 50 cents. we have to make sure everyone gets their fair shake. and we cannot forget about the long-term unemployed. and i am not just talking about the 99 years. i'm talking about people out of

work for three or more years that have been looking. some of us know that this recession did not just start when the bureau of labor statistics and other economists were saying there was a recession. some of us knew it long before then. as a congress member, i recall in my own city where i grew up, before the recession was called, the unemployment rate was anywhere from 9% to 12% and our jobs were leading. they were leaving a long time ago because of bad policies. they did not take care of people here. i also know that what we've got to remember is that right now is not the time to give up on protecting other vulnerable communities that are also sacrificing a lot and not having their voices heard. i'm talking about those vulnerable individuals who represent our immigrant workers. they happen to be countries like the caribbean, latin america, ethiopia, india, south america. there are a lot of brothers and sisters that are faced with discrimination and oppression in the workplace. but we are all suffering. one suffers, we all suffer, both in terms of safety and work place. we know that people have to get paid better wages. wages have not kept up over the past decade. and i continue to stand up for those who want to continue to be a part of and be associated with a labor union and have the right to collectively bargain. that is how we get people into the middle class. that has been our american history and tradition. i stand proudly by my brothers and sisters who are fighting to

get into a union and remain represented. i know that my own father, who worked hard coming into this country, did many dark -- many jobs. he was a farm worker, a rail worker, even at one point a janitor. but one of the proudest moments i had was when he became the shop steward for his teamster union and organized immigrant workers that could not speak english. my father could speak english, so he knew how to talk to the bosses and negotiate and he knew what was right and wrong. he stood up. he had no shame and said i will stand up for these workers. and because of that, so many families in the community were affected. their families got better wages. they had a roof over their head, health care benefits, retirement. some of us could even go to college for the first time in our lives.

i was one of those beneficiaries. i was the first one in my family of seven -- and i'm not even the oldest. i am a middle child. but i was able to go to college. after that, all of my younger sisters went to college. and some of them even benefited from scholarships from the teamsters union. i'm proud of that because that is what is put our foot in the door to be in the middle class. we had fine schools that all of us pay taxes into. and my father and thus stood tall. we were one of the first in our neighborhood to own our own home. that gave us so much pride, having a piece of the american dream, the property, a house, the feeling that you somehow along. but as i got older, i saw things changing.

and i heard so many negative things about unions, people talking bad about what unions were doing the wrong way. my life did not show me that. i saw good things happening. i saw that i could compete and go to good stores and good neighborhoods and be safe, because that is what the union provided us. and when my father went out on that picket line, we did not have to go out begging for food because my father got a supplemental help from the union and we were able to stay in our house, thank god. we did not have to put that up. i learned a lot growing up in a household that is very close and knows that nothing is going to be given to you, but much is always expected of you. that is something that is with me now even at the department of labour. i will tell you, one of the things that we need to remember is that we cannot forget our young people. our young people need us more than ever. they need role models. they need to see that all of us are working together and that we can stand up tall and say that they can also have that piece of the american dream that so many people out there with like us

to forget and say, you know, tough luck. if you cannot pick yourself up from your own bootstraps, that is too bad. i do not believe that this division as president wants. that i want. that the rev. once. and that you want. our dream is a dream for everyone to be able to stand up tall, to be self and howard, to have dignity and respect, no matter where you come from, what that code, what school you graduated from, or what college you attended. it is not about that. it is about the character of the individual. it really is. and we must never lose sight of that. [applause] i don't think i have to tell you, but there are some folks in town right now that want to do away with the safety net for a lot of folks that i'm talking to, that i'm speaking about. they want to get rid of assistance for veterans. they want to cut the heart out of our job training program when

we have 12 many people still looking for work and people in dead-end jobs that want to move up the ladder. they want to cut financial aid for students. there are programs that are particularly set aside for low- income families. if i was not able to get the pell grant, i would -- i know i would not be standing in for the u.s. the first latina labor secretary because my parents did not have money to set aside and say, here is $1,000, here is $100 for you to go to college. my father could not afford it. he had other things to contend with, like a roof over his head for seven children to pay for our meals, to make sure that we had a decent place to live, that we have adequate space, and that we could share in this american dream that he so aspire for all of his children to have. there are people proposing cuts to medicaid and they want a voucher in our schools and health-care programs.

they want to get rid of the health care reforms, which the president has put every effort into to help provide assistance for well over 32 million people. and why now? why now, when we have fought so hard? i want to tell you that we need to stand up and we must not forget that at this critical moment in time, we have to understand what the president is fighting for. he is fighting right there with you and i. it is about fairness. it is about fairness in the workplace. it is about fairness in education, and it is about fairness in terms of what services are provided by government.

if we cannot have a say so in that, then this is the dream that all of us have aspired to be a part of. if people are paying their taxes, those that can afford it, the billionaires' and millionairess, even the folks that you heard yesterday that are in the white house that agreed to pay more, they want to pay more because they know it is their obligation. because that is what we stand by, those principles. that is very important for us to understand what the president is fighting for, for fairness. so that we are not overtaxed, so the person that has to go to the small grocery store in east l.a. or in the bronx does not have to pay more than the person who lives in beverly hills. that is what this is about. it is about fairness. that is what the president is striving for. let's not forget that. let's make sure that we continue the fight, the struggle, and the movement. and i want to ask you to help us, because the president is held -- is going around the country right now asking about -- talking about about the role.

i do not need to go into the details, because you should know what that is, and before you end of this convention you will note what is. it is about fairness. i want to ask you one final thing, i want to ask you if you are ready to help this president and his administration and the american people. [applause] and i want to ask you in the spirit of cesar chávez, who also fought very hard for worker dignity and respect, just as martin luther king fought for that dignity and respect and put his hand out in support of the search chavez -- cesar chávez when he was all alone, feeling like nobody would care about the poorest of the poor. but these two men came together spiritually and keep became one power, one on different sides of the united states, but bringing us together because in unity there is strength. in diversity, their strength.

the president knows that and we know it. i want to ask you if you will help us march again. i want to ask you if you are going to help us organize. [applause] and i want to make sure that we are accountable and that we are out there. we've got to fire ourselves up. you know, get excited, but i mean give it all we've got. i want to ask you, are you fired up? [applause] and i want to make sure that when we talk about the budget that is being proposed by the other side of the aisle, that you do not forget that your voices are very important. send those e-mails. get on flicker. get on the website of those members and let them know on facebook. let them know where you stand and the communities you represent.

if they do not hear you, nobody else will step up to the plate. the onus is on us. and i will not take no for an answer. and i know my president will not take no for an answer. [applause] i will ask you to keep us keeping us living the dream that martin luther king shared with us, the hope and inspiration that people like caesar job as and people in this room have dedicated their lives to. so many of you have sacrifice. when we sacrifice we gate -- gained so much more and it makes it so much fun. i'm so glad to be here with you and i thank you and i thank the rev. sharpton and i'm proud to march with him on any occasion. thank you. [applause]

>> were going to be seated and were going to finish with a brief q&a and then at 11:45 a.m. we will switch to our health panel before we break for lunch. let me recognize the incoming and vibrant leader at home, george gresham of 1199. give him a hand. [applause] you are going to moderate the q&a, right? thank you.

labor secretary solis, thank you. [applause] >> i think we have -- i will ask one more question to dry out there and then we can go to q&a with the audience. one thing i did want to cover before we wrap, we do have an election coming up. citizens united really changed the field, as you all know. corporations can now spend unlimited money on political issues.

and unions are calling to do the same now. citizens united activities are for unions as well, they can now knock on the union doors and household. generally, the powers do not like citizens united. this fall, how are you making sure the democrats, including the president, are not taking the labor vote for granted? >> i think the first thing we've got to accept is that we will never be able to compete, as far as resources, with the corporations and the ultraconservatives who are pouring money into these super pacs. if you look at the amount of money that has gone in since 2012 alone, it is about $100 million. that has gone toward the republicans were running for president. we will never be able to compete money-wise with them. but one thing we have that they do not is people power. that is a grassroots organization across the country where we are now not only able to knock on union doors, but we

were restricted at one time. we could only knock on members stores. but now we can knock on member stores and non-members doors alike. we can community blanket those streets, making phone calls, knocking on doors, handing out leaflets, educating folks and organizing people to make sure they understand the importance of these elections in 2012. we cannot make the same mistake that we made in 2010. let's face it. we've got to be honest with the one another. we did not believe these elections were that important.

and look what happened in 2010 when we lost a lot of governors races, what happened here in washington d.c. when a lot of tea partyers and were elected. we've got to wake up, and i believe we have a weekend. we got to work in our communities. even though we disagree with all this money being poured into politics, we got to take advantage of the loss of that we can educate and mobilize our members, but also our communities. that is exactly what we are doing. >> let me say i agree, but i think we know and we have all been saying that we cannot do it by ourselves. we need to create alliances with everybody in this room. let me say how i think we can win. they have lots of money, but there are a lot of people in this country. african-americans and latinos and asian-pacific islanders are well over one-third of the population. then labor. then women's groups. and conservationists. we are the majority. the problem is, we have never worked together. we have always fought in isolation of each other. there is the rule of divide and

conquer. what we need to do for this election, because we need to reelect the president. but we have to make sure that everyone has affordable housing, everybody has access to health care. there are so many things. we need quality schools. there are so many issues that we need to win. when we get together, i think we can not only re-elect the president, but make sure we get a progressive agenda. [applause] >> the american federation of teachers, our workers are all about economic opportunity, dignity, democracy and full participation of all of us at the ballot box and civic affairs.

that is what this election is about. as union leaders and eunice, is about educating our members and mobilizing so that they go out and mobilized as teachers, for instance, parents of students in our classrooms, neighbors. we all have influence with people beyond our own movement. and that is what will happen this fall to re-elect the president. >> we have about 10 minutes left. why don't we go to questions from the audience? >> i'm from belleville, new jersey. i would like to thank each and everyone of you for personalizing this. i've got to say i've never heard it personalized in the manner you just described, how union workers when they are stripped of their rights as workers, how that impacts the local communities as it relates to not only the government operations, but in terms of our own personal community, our homes and so on and so forth.

i would like to encourage you to drive that message home a little bit more, because as much as i'm a friend and advocate for labor, you got me really fired up now. my next question is cannot what are the -- is, what are these specific strategies and what you would like done in terms of the folks in the community that may not be members of the labor union or do not have labor jobs. they're just regular, everyday people. that is my second question. third question, just looking at the 2004 election, we had about 45% of hispanics that turned out eligible to vote. 45% voted. african-americans, or blacks, only 65%. with the voter i.d. lot in place that was trying to strip about 5 million minority votes, what is the strategy?

how can we work with you to make sure that we get out the vote and reelect this president? >> getting out the vote, who would like to take that? >> i'm going to use this question as a segue to talk about something the machinists union created called youcue. it is your union of unemployed. what about the americans who do not have a job? how do we communicate with them and why it is important to participate in this election? 160,000 disabled americans unemployed. 1.9 million college graduates today do not have a job. 976,000 teenagers. 1.2 million black men. 984,000 left in us.

1.3 million high school graduates do not have a job. 4.8 million white guys do not have a job. 1.1 million black women are unemployed. an associate degree or a college attendee, 2.9 million cannot find a job. asian-americans, 506,000 cannot find a job. 1.3 million -- i'm sorry, 3.5 million white women cannot find a job. high school dropouts, 1.6 million cannot get a job. these people all have something in common from a wide array of life. they do not have a job. and when people have jobs, they have hope and they have skin in the game and these are the

folks we have to reach out to in this election and help them understand why going and casting a ballot, and defying all the obstacles and barriers to doing that is important for them. then i think we make a difference. we unite those people. from all walks of life into a common cause and is one where at the end of the day, we win. and it would be nice if the people won one for a change. [applause] >> i want to go back to the voter suppression issue. that we care a lot about the people we directly represent, but we also care about the greater community that we are part of. that is why we are involved in legislative and promoting things that do not just impact our

people directly. we were all involved in the health-care debate. if you go back many years, we were right there at the forefront to get the eight-hour day, which then brought about the weekend, against child labor laws. once again, labor will be there on voter suppression. we know it is a huge issue in 38 states. and there are states that are trying to institute laws and statutes that will make it harder for people to vote. and we know in our hearts that is not right. we will be fighting for that. the reality is that we know those votes are likely going to make a difference in many races. we want to make sure that the greater community that we are all about has the right to vote our unions are involved -- our union's is involved and aside from doing a regular election work, and for us, that is

connecting to our members at the workplace because we believe we have the greatest amount of influence with the people we know the best. but it is also looking outside and working on issues like voter suppression. >> thank you for your question. our union has been working on creating a national table and we have about 30 national health local community organizations and unions working together in the latino community particularly. there are about 20 million latinos that are eligible to vote. in 2008, about 10 million voting. that does not sound like a lot, but that is about 2.5 million more than voted in the previous election. it is expected in 2012, and our goal is, to have 12 million people vote. if we accomplish that by all of us working together and we maintain the same ratio of voting for president obama, he

will get 1.3 million votes more than he got in 2008. we also happen to be concentrated in many of the battleground states, colorado, nevada, florida, new mexico, arizona. we can make a big difference. in these other states, ohio, pennsylvania, there is a huge latino and a huge african- american community. we can turn these numbers out in greater numbers than in 2008 and maintain support for the president and he will win. but we got to make sure we do it. [applause] >> as reverend sharpton mentioned, a board member on the action network. one of the things that we have been doing is travelling across

the country and going into urban areas and local communities and bring together labor, bringing together the faith-based community and other civil rights organizations and sitting down and talking to them about developing the necessary coalitions that will be effective in achieving our goals in 2012 and beyond. this does not happen magically. it does not. this is our world. while we are committed to doing is not speaking from washington d.c. and expecting it to magically happen in detroit or cleveland or los angeles, but going into the community and sitting down with our leadership and with all the community partners and saying, you've got to put your issues aside and work on the issues that confront all of us. those issues are too important and establish a link in the local communities because that is where the grass roots effort is going to be. it is going to be a grass-roots effort to deal with the issues that confront all of us.

we've got to have a structure in place of individuals and organizations that are comfortable with one another and meet on a regular basis of they can move a positive agenda forward. [applause] >> thank you for hosting this panel today. democrats, who are the party of jim crow, the complex clan, filibustered the civil-rights act of 1960. 94% of senate republicans voted for the civil-rights act of 1964. all the democrats opposed it. isn't it disingenuous to suggest that the republicans want to disenfranchise the black and hispanic vote? are you playing the race card for political advantage? and secondly, voter i.d. lot is suppressing or discriminating, are you implying that minorities are not smart enough or too lazy to go and get an id card?

>> who would like that one? >> if the republicans were that good in the old days, we wish they would come back to their roots. here is the problem. republicans right now endorsed supported and passed a racial profiling law, a a law that takes us back to the old days. they supported the same laws in north carolina and supported and passed the senate bill 1070 in arizona. some of their political candidates, like candidates from the -- mitt romney, said that his agenda is to make immigrants miserable so they support themselves. the bottom line is, we are not leading the republican party. they do not want us. if they had an agenda and actually speaks -- if it were

for workers' rights, a living wage, health care, immigrant rights, and if they supported us on voters' right, i think they might get a fair hearing. the problem is that as long as they continue with that kind of agenda, it will be hard for them to be us up and then expect us to vote for them. it is not going to happen. [applause] >> can i get an answer from the panel on this one? >> what you mentioned was then and this is now. we've got to deal with what is happening to us right now. i mentioned this earlier. there is a coordinated attack by the ultraconservatives in this country to take our rights and steal our democracy away from us. more you get collective bargaining rights, voting rights, women's rights, civil rights for americans in this

country, there is a coordinated attack by those in the republican party to support the 1% who have wealth and power in this country and ignore the other 99%. as far as the varieties, this is an attack on the -- the voter i.d., this is an attack on the people that died to get the right to vote. when they talk about problems with the voting system, when they talk about problems -- and that is so disingenuous. if you look at it, you will see that fraud within the voting system is less than 1%. but they want to take away and want to institute these voter i.d. laws. that is going back to the jim crow laws of yesterday. we want to go forward, not backward. [applause]

>> we do not have much time left. moving along. >> i wanted to ask a question in relationship to the voters id. if we're wanting to make sure that this law will be nullified by us getting identification, i wonder if we can create some plan so that first of all, the general public understands there are some new rules. i think a lot of people are not aware that they will have to bring in id to vote. i wonder if there is a way in which we can systematically get this information out to the public and then mobilize, maybe, in churches, community centers, where ever we need to do to mobilize people and enable us to get idps -- id for those who cannot afford it. >> i actually believe there are lot of efforts going on to do exactly that. the naacp is very involved. many labor groups are involved

and we are partnering up. nan is involved in working together not only at the polls, but to get information out ahead of time and educate people. there are a lot of efforts going on because of these new laws that have popped up. i think you will see an effort greater than ever before on education to get people to the polls to be able to vote. >> the new world order, that is the dumbing down of america. and challenges going to be the next superpower. the things we are going through now are preparing for the new world order. >> on not sure if there was a question in there.

we just have time for one more. >> my name is anthony tyrone, and i've been a longstanding member with the national network and reverend sharpton. how is it that we strategizing to keep the jobs in this country? because any hill said something very important to my does not happen overnight. it is very strategic and by the time we get there is devastating. how can we keep the jobs in this country, and what can our communities do to keep the jobs in this country? and the second question would be, when unemployment falls, does it fall because the person is acting out, or they are just not able to find a job? >> and it will start with keeping jobs. i can relate with what was said. when i dialed 800 to order something borrego to rent a car

in the city i'm going to and it is obvious the person is not in this country and i ask, where are you located? and i will pay more to get a car to get somebody located in this country, who has a job and our country. [applause] we also have to look at where we buy. do we buy american made goods? because that is how we keep jobs in this country. check out the label. check out where the product is made. and support and buy goods that are made in our country. [applause] >> the jobless rate that we were told last week that fell by one 10th of a percentage point is now back up this week because up claims have gone back again. the fact of the matter is, people have quit looking. they have become so discouraged. they have quit looking for jobs

and day are no longer looking. it would not talk about the real unemployment rate in america, which is twice the number reported by the department of labour. if you use actual payroll statistics every week, that would tell you the number. we play games with this notion of unemployment. we have 23 million americans without a job today. that number alone of unemployed people make all the difference in the next election. that is why we focus on organizing unemployed workers. not under the banner of any union. we used you cuba only as a ploy to get people to look and see what it is about and then help them to create their own structure and leadership models in their own communities. they have the common issue. they are now talking to one another.

it 92,000 people signed on as you cubist leaders. they reach every day, 23 million unemployed workers. we have all the computer technology that allows us to follow who did talk to. they are talking to one another. we have to get that focus clearly established in their minds that they have a job to do. they have -- they are unemployed, but that job occurs on election day of this year. and it is go to cast a ballot in this election and help us to do have jobs turn this country back in the right direction. we need everybody's help on that. that is why i cannot help but go back from my own experiences. we win when everybody works together. i want to get back into the winning column again. and where people have hope and something to look forward to. [applause]

>> a quick question. it is good to see several buckeyes on stage. i'm from ohio. i have one question regarding card check and secret ballot. in some states, you have to sign a card and once the majority of the cards are collected, the employee union is informed. in other states, you have cards and you can pala for union information. some argue on the right that some opposition to union ballot indicates you fear actual employees not to unionize. i guess in the spirit of openness, i was wondering if all of you as union leaders have actually come to support a secret ballot so you can make it clear that you do, indeed, support individual employee's rights to choose whether or not to be in the union.

>> i would go on record on the condition that is against the law and is enforced, and employers cannot terrorize employees that have organized for a union. [applause] that becomes the issue. we can all set up here and tell stories. it probably happens a little bit less in the public sector because they have to disclose where the funds come from. but that -- there are employers that spend millions of dollars to keep unions out of the work force. why? how many ceos do we know out there that would go to work without a contract? that is the real issue, what happens between the time that employees express a wish to have a union through signing cards, and then when the election occurs. that is the real issue. >> you can see where the

concern is, if you sign your name to a card, then the union knows whether or not you voted to unionize. those who did not sign the card itself for the repercussions. >> that is a blatant lie. >> you can see the line of reasoning. >> that is a blatant lie. what you just described. citing a union card does not indicate how someone votes in a conducted election. >> i agree with everything you said, but let me just say on card check, i got married by signing a piece of paper. i bought a house by signing a piece of paper. i bought a car by signing a piece of paper. i enrolled my kids in school by signing a piece of paper. why can't i join a union by signing a piece of paper? >> i have one brief follow-up. with all of you be willing to enter into a voting booth and expose your ballot for all of

your neighbors to see so that they can is see how -- they can see exactly how you voted? >> carta check. >> that is not card check at all. because your name is affixed to a piece of paper indicating. >> that is not it at all. our object is to provide an opportunity for individuals to sign a card at their discretion. nobody is forcing them to do so. to join a union. that is what our position has been. or a secret ballot election. what is happening is the playing field is not level. we tried to change the law to reflect a better playing field, is stronger plain field where you have employer intimidation whenever someone wants to join a union and you have people been fired if they want to join a union activist to talk about joining a union, where you have employers who delay the contract negotiations until folks are gone so they can have another election.

that is what this is about. do not just focus on card check, whether an individual has the right to sign a card or not. let's look at the complete. we are talking about labor laws and relations in this country and the unfairness that exists. >> this young lady has been very patient. >> just to add one more comment -- my country and my government accept the piece of paper i signed to take up a battle rifle and go defend the interests of this country any place in the globe they would send me. and i did that by signing a piece of paper. and yet somehow it is wrong for me to be able to sign a piece of paper and say i'm proud to also be a member of the union. there is something fundamentally wrong with the mindset that says people, workers do not have value and worth. that is what this is all about.

lee was right earlier about class warfare. this is some people in our society saying there is an underclass of people that happens to be the majority that are not worth as much as a select few. i reject that. and any other apostle or disciple that they might send to try to convince me otherwise. >> we have 15 minutes for this last question. -- just a few minutes for this last one. >> i'm asking if you can share this with people when you are asking them to work on the grass roots level. i have an 18-year-old. he went to get a job. they allowed him to use his student i.d., but they said you need a state issued id in order to get the job. he could not get the job until he got his state issued id. he left there and tried to go to the bank. he could not -- he tried to establish a bank account, but could not do that until he got a state issued id.

he went to dmv. he could not just use his birth certificate and a social security card. he needed something that only my husband's name would be on, utility bill. >> do you want to wrap it up? >> a government issued id. he went to his college. he could not use his tooten id. they are turning all of this back over to needing a state issued id peridot -- state issued id. we need some agreement and either write a letter and get that notarized for him to get a state issued id, so maybe at the level of the church or whoever is going to be helping with the voter registration, maybe they need to have notary publics there and the older family members as well as the gambert people to have somebody in the family to give them a letter tuesday that they live there and have that notarized.

that is the only way that he can have the state issued id and how he can vote and have a job and a bank account and all of that. it is not just a simple as somebody going out to the dmv. >> anyone want to briefly address voter i.d.? >> he goes to prince george's community college and this is the dmv in maryland. >> does anyone want to briefly address it? >> that is true. there are many other examples as it is not as simple as people think. there are people that they're trying to get to vote, but there are examples of people who have voted for years and have never been questioned and now are being asked to get a different type of identification. some people do not have a birth certificate.

people focus in on whether they are lazy which was implied. it is not because they are lazy. they are presenting being issue wrong. >> i understand. >> thank you. we are going to briefly do some closing statements. we're going to go down the line. i am wondering what you would tell the audience they can do in terms of helping unions in terms of the election. >> let me rephrase that. it is not only helping unions but each other. the issues that concern all of this, and we have talked about those issues these are all being challenged.

we cannot let it happen. we have got to come together like never before, develop those coalitions at the local level. we have to make our voices heard. the 99% are being smacked around every single day. and1% what's more power wealth. we have to say enough is enough. we have to come together and fight back. if we do that, do you know what? we will win. amino mistakes about it. we can win this election in 2012. it requires us to buy back like never before. >> we may be off from labor unions. our fight is for america, its future, and the next generation. hopefully they will not have to make the same fight again.

we will have learned to quit repeating these things that cause division, harm, and hurt. people should have a right to vote. s. citizens of this country, we should be able to secure that for the next generations. we have to take up each other's hands again and start marching toward a common direction. we will win. [applause] >> i would agree. it is about our country. i think what each of us in this room can do is talk to our friends and family. it is appalling how many people do choose to stay home. either because some are lazy and some do not care.

there are decisions made in this town and other towns that impact us in ways we do not even really imagine. make sure. talk to people about the issue. make sure people do go to the polls and vote. that is the most important thing people can do.

>> it is all about person to person, the power of persuasion. i do not kind of -- care what kind of campaign. you're using your personal influence with others you know. if each of us does that in towns throughout this country, we will be victorious. >> that will conclude the panel. help out around of applause. >> this afternoon, the communicators with national telecommunications and information had lawrence strickley.

watch the entire interview at 6:30 p.m. eastern. >> we will bring you up our reporter that -- a panel that covered the biggest stories. >> everything was pretty normal and then the crack down started. it came in waves. it would crack down on the protestors and they would pull back and crack down and pull back. at a certain point there was a moment when there was the final crackdown when saudi arabia was invited into bahrain by the ruling family and they did mass arrests and started arresting everyone who was associated with the democracy protesters, torturing them and some were tortured to death. when the crackdown happened, that is when it became difficult to work in bahrain. >> even after, the facts were

correct -- he was innocent. there was still a lot of reporters with in pennsylvania, a major news organizations said they would never run that story. people told that to me, to my boss, and there were clear. you have ruined that guy's life if he is not charged. our response was we did not say he was guilty. he is under investigation. if it does not lead to charges we would write that too. he is under investigation and it is more than one alleged victim that has come forward. a lot of news organizations did not want to touch it. >> officials from facebook and other technology companies talk about whether government regulation gets in the way of innovation in their field. >> if you look at the 535 of people in the house and senate,

by a generous count, 35 have any sort of background in science or engineering. the rest are living in the middle ages. they do not understand that windmills do not work when the wind is not slowing and that solar does not work at night. >> sunday, we take a look at some of the key 2012 senate races. 33 seats are up for election this year. 21 on the democratic side, 10 in the republican and 2 independent. bernie sanders of vermont and joe lieberman of vermont who is retiring. our guests are the committee executive directors. airing sunday at 10:00 a.m. and again at 6:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> last week a group of foreign policy journalists discussed the the debt crisis.

the panel focused on greece and the upcoming elections. this one hour and 15 event was part of a forum that was hosted by the center for international studies on wednesday. studies on wednesday.