By Doug Cunningham

In the wake of the White House jobs summit, AFL-CIO President Rich Trumnka says there’s no bottom in sight for working families struggling to keep their jobs, their health care and homes. Trumka is calling on political leaders to take immediate action to do everything possible to create jobs. Trumka says the jobs forum is important but can’t substitute for action. Trumka is pledging that the AFL-CIO will be very active in coming weeks and months to push for concrete action on jobs.

By Doug Cunningham

The Center for Economic and Policy Research says workers will lose an estimated total of $1 trillion as a result of the Great Recession. In its new report called The Trillion Dollar Wage Deficit, he center says that African American and Latino workers are being especially hard hit. Economist John Schmitt says unemployment in 2010 and 2011 will cost workers more in lost wages and salaries than we’ve lost this year. The Center for Economic and Policy Research says from the standpoint of jobs, we’re not even one third of the way through this recession.

Teamsters in Philadelphia went on strike Thursday to protest standards at Red Cross facilities. Jesse Russell reports:

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By Doug Cunningham

U.S. Labor Against The War is convening its third national assembly over the weekend in Chicago. USLAW’s Michael Eisenscher.

[Eisenscher]: “We have about 195 affiliated labor organizations. Everything from the largest local union in the country – SEIU 1199 in New York with 250,00 members – to national unions like CWA, probably 25 labor councils, half a dozen state labor federations.”

U.S. Labor Against The War will adopt a formal policy on the Afghan war at its assembly this weekend in Chicago. It’s already on record opposing an escalation of the war.

The world’s largest retailer has been hit with the largest class action lawsuit settlement in Massachusetts history. Wal-Mart is agreeing to pay $40 million to nearly 87,500 current and former workers. The settlement will go to workers who were active between August 1995 and the settlement date. The settlement alleges the company y required workers to skip breaks and work overtime without overtime pay.

Economic Report:

According to job placement firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas job cuts by employers were down 72 percent in November when compared to the same time last year and job cuts were down 9.6 percent when compared to October of this year. November saw the lowest number of job cuts since the start of the recession.

The largest newspaper publisher in the country will furlough workers in an attempt to deal with declining ad revenue. Jesse Russell reports:

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Workers at a Harley-Davidson plant in York, Pennsylvania have approved a contract. The seven-year contract is intended to assure that the plant will remain open in city and not move to Kentucky. Instead the company has suggested it will slash nearly half of the 1900 employee workforce. Additionally, workers who keep their jobs will have their wages and benefits frozen. The company also pledged to invest millions of dollars upgrading the plant.