The Big Banks have a lot to answer for. As their greed and recklessness gave us a devastating financial crisis, they also abused and defrauded consumers. There are 7.5 million homes that have entered the foreclosure process, with another 4.8 million homeowners at risk. It’s time to set things right—and not with a slap on the wrist for bankers and fraudsters.

Unfortunately, some state attorneys general are considering just that—a small slap on the wrist, not real accountability. To get the best deal for homeowners, and to make sure the banks are held fully accountable, your voice needs to be heard.

Your attorney general has the power to hold the banks accountable. Tell the AG you want real accountability and not another giveaway.

The collapse of the housing market and widespread abuses of homeowners are holding back our economy. Misconduct by the nation’s biggest banks gave us the financial crisis, and your attorney general has the power to hold them accountable. A deal already is being considered—and we have to get this right. We can’t repeat the mistakes of the bailout process.

Your attorney general will be making a decision soon; tell the AG to put homeowners above banker greed.

In Solidarity,

Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

P.S. Have you checked out Working America's 9 Demands of the 99%? View eight commonsense solutions we need to fix the economy, add your own and sign on in support.

Everyone’s struggling in this economy—some of us more than others. Can you afford even a small donation to make 2012 a little bit brighter for someone less fortunate than yourself?

Not all of us can afford to give this year. So if you can afford to help, your contribution is more important than ever. Here are two things you can do:

1.    Since Aug. 1, 1,300 BCTGM (Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers) members in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa have been locked out of their factories by American Crystal Sugar. The company has hired replacement workers and continues to refuse to return to the bargaining table. Click here to pitch in and help 1,300 union brothers and sisters who have been locked out by their employer since Aug. 1.

2.    On Sat., Jan. 21, the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) will host the AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Carson, Calif. What’s special about this game is that the AFL-CIO is working with the players to fill the stadium with people—particularly union members—who have lost their jobs, plus local youths and members of the military. It costs $12.50 to donate a ticket. Can you help? Click here to donate one or more tickets. (If you live near Carson, Calif., or can make it to the game, you can also purchase tickets for the game here, using discount code UNION to save 20 percent.)

Whichever of these campaigns you choose, your donation will have an immediate, tangible impact on people's lives in the New Year.

Thanks for all the work you do.

In Solidarity,

Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

Unions: Holding the Line for the Middle Class

Every fight we take on is about making life better for workers, whether it is in a state legislature, the Halls of Congress, at the bargaining table or on the picket line. Unions are the counterweight to corporate excess and influence.

This holiday season, we’d like to acknowledge the countless Steelworkers engaging in critical legislative fights, those who are who struggling to keep their jobs or survive unemployment, and all those who are currently making great sacrifices to be the counterweight against greed and corporate excess, particularly our members who are on strike and those who have been left jobless after being locked out by their employers. As the following members on strike or lockout in the U.S. stand firm for good jobs this holiday season, they support us all and hold the line for the middle class!

 216 members of Local 285L illegally locked out by Armstrong World Industries Inc.

USW Rapid Response  (412) 562-2291  http://www.uswrr.org

STOP THE ATTACK ON UNIONS NOW!

Almost 25 million people are unemployed, underemployed or have stopped looking for work—and wages are essentially flat. The middle class is shrinking. Working people—the 99%—are told to sacrifice more while the rich keep getting richer.

And now Ohio workers—including nurses, firefighters and teachers—have lost some of their most basic rights under Ohio’s Senate Bill 5, which many say is even worse than what Gov. Scott Walker pulled in Wisconsin.

SB 5 is part of Wall Street’s strategy to chip away at collective bargaining rights, piece by piece, law by law, until unions and collective bargaining rights are destroyed. It must not stand.

Can you help make sure Ohio voters remember to make their voices heard by calling 10 of them now? You can help make sure they show up at the polls on Nov. 8 and repeal SB 5 by voting NO on Issue 2. Click here to get started.

It seems like workers can’t get a break these days. But we can beat back this attack on working people if we make these calls. Here’s why we know we can win this election with your help:

• There is enormous grassroots opposition from across the political spectrum. And the good news is, Ohio voters have the power to overturn SB 5 by voting NO on Issue 2. They just need to show up and vote.
   
• And public opinion in Ohio is on our side. Fifty-seven percent of Ohio voters say this attack on workers—which is listed on the Ohio ballot as Issue 2—should be repealed, compared with 32 percent who are in favor of keeping the law.

But this is an off-year election. We can’t win on public opinion alone. We need you to help make sure Ohio voters turn out to the polls and make their voices heard on Nov. 8.

Get a list of Ohio voters and their phone numbers right now. Give them a call and make sure they vote on Nov. 8 to repeal SB 5 by voting NO on Issue 2.

The fate of working families and SB 5 will be decided not by politicians but by Ohioans, as they cast their vote on Ballot Issue 2 on or before Nov. 8. And all of us can help folks who don’t remember there’s an off-year election to get to the polls.

Early voting is going on in Ohio right now. Don’t wait until Election Day to call voters. Call now. You don’t want to wait until the last minute to make a difference with so much on the line.

Grab your phone now. It takes 10 minutes to ask 10 Ohio voters to show up at the polls and repeal SB 5 by voting NO on 2.

In Solidarity,

Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO