California Unemployment Skyrockets to 11.9%

   

Statement by California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski
 

“Today’s unemployment figures are a troubling sign that California continues to move in the wrong direction while the rest of the nation begins to emerge from the depths of recession. With California unemployment skyrocketing to a post-World War II record of 11.9 percent in July, it’s clear that Governor Schwarzenegger’s slash and burn budgets and failure to provide leadership are preventing our state from beginning the economic recovery we’re seeing in other parts of the country.

“The Governor’s proposals to cut worker pensions and place an additional tax burden on middle class families won’t help us get out of this economic morass, they'll just drag us deeper into recession.

“It’s time for a new approach. We need new investment in job creation to stimulate economic growth. We must close corporate tax loopholes that are siphoning off billions of dollars from our economy every year. And we need to restore the drastic cuts to education, health care and public safety that are devastating families, sinking our economy and endangering our health and safety.”

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