Jack & Jill Politics

In case you missed it yesterday, President Obama unveiled a new plan to help the middle class.

via Chicago Sun-Times:

by Nicole Gaudiano. . .

Goals for the task force include expanding education and lifelong training opportunities; improving work and family balance; restoring labor standards, including workplace safety; helping to protect middle-class and working-family incomes, and protecting retirement security.

“It is our charge to get the middle class — the backbone of this country — up and running again,” [Vice President] Biden said.

Composed of top-level administration policymakers, the task force will meet regularly and conduct outreach sessions with representatives of labor, business and advocacy communities. Their first official meeting will be Feb. 27 in Philadelphia and will focus on the development of green jobs.

As mentioned in the video, the President also took favorable action towards organized labor by signing several executive orders . . .

AP via MSNBC.com:

In another move favorable to organized labor, the president signed three executive orders that union officials say will undo Bush administration policies that favored employers over workers. The orders Obama signed will:

– Require federal contractors to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change.

– Reverse a Bush order requiring federal contractors to post notice that workers can limit financial support of unions serving as their exclusive bargaining representatives.

– Prevent federal contractors from being reimbursed for expenses meant to influence workers deciding whether to form a union and engage in collective bargaining.

Here’s Vice President Joe Biden discussing the task force: