James Andrews: Labor Day is Call to Action for Leaders

We have a jobs crisis creating a debt crisis

Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. Politicians need to be focused on creating jobs for today's jobless instead of worrying about future debts because only when the unemployed get back to work will we be able to grow our economy and tackle our long-term federal budget deficits. In the meantime, continued investment aid to the jobless is among the best forms of economic stimulus.

That was part of the message from NC State AFL-CIO President James Andrews when he sat down for an interview on News and Views with Chris Fitzsimon to air this Labor Day weekend. Here's a preview:

"You give an unemployed worker a check, they spend that check. They're not going to put it in the bank, and if you want the economy to grow and folks to have jobs, that's a stimulus in every sense of the word. Yes, we've got to deal with the budget, but we can't cut our way out of this."

The full interview will air this Sunday on WRAL (101.5) and WCMC (99.9) in the Triangle, and will be streamed from the NC Policy Watch website on Monday.