PEP, September 2008: Vital issues for working people

Issues	Barack Obama	John McCain
The economy	Obama’s plan includes tax relief for middle-class and working families, protecting homeowners from foreclosure, reforming bankruptcy laws and investing in creating 5 million new “green” jobs.	McCain admits he does not know much about the economy. He said his vote to bail out the Bear Stearns investment banking firm was necessary to protect the economy, but he opposed helping homeowners. His financial adviser, Phil Gramm, said the recession is only “mental” and called Americans whiners for complaining about the soaring cost of living.
Pay levels	Obama voted to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour. Increases in the minimum wage ripple through the economy and increase pay levels for millions more.	McCain voted no on raising the minimum wage. He also voted to let states opt out of minimum wage increases, which would effectively repeal the nationwide minimum wage requirement.
Employees’ rights	Obama is a sponsor of labor’s Employee Free Choice Act, which gives workers the right to have a union if a majority signs union cards. He said, “Unions should be allowed to do what they do best and lift up the middle-class in this country once more. In this country, we believe that if the majority of workers in a company want a union, they should get a union.”	McCain voted to block a Senate vote on the Employee Free Choice Act, protecting the current anti-union situation where employers can threaten and even fire workers who want to join unions and representation elections.
Social Security	Obama opposes privatizing Social Security. He said the country should “value the labor of every American and reward it with wages that can raise a family, health care if workers get sick, a retirement that’s dignified and working conditions that are safe.”	McCain wants to follow Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security and replace it with individual investment accounts that would leave seniors at the mercy of the stock market.
War in Iraq	“Here is the truth: fighting a war without end will not make the American people safer or force the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future,” says Obama. “So when I am commander in chief, I will set a new goal on Day One: I will end this war.”	McCain opposes withdrawing American troops before Iraq is able to govern itself and safeguard its people. He has proposed keeping American troops in Iraq for as long as 100 years and possibly starting another war with Iran.

* For more information on where they stand on issues important to DC 37 members,
go to http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/obama.cfm.