Creating more jobs

The Chicago Federation of Labor is organizing a protest outside the banks in the city. It is calling on them to create more jobs. It is good that the CFL is holding a demo and pointing the finger at the banks. However it would be better to campaign to take the banks and finance houses into public ownership under workers control and management. This would create a great fund of capital under workers control and management. We could simultaneously campaign for this fund to be used to finance a program of public works to build and repair roads, schools, hospitals etc, to build high speed rail and environmentally safe economic projects at union rates and benefits. Along with this campaign for a shorter work week with no loss in pay to create more jobs. For example the US is the only advanced industrial country where the working class does not have a guaranteed paid designated holiday period or guaranteed paid maternity or paternity leave. A shorter work week and a guaranteed five or six week holiday and guaranteed maternity and paternity leave for all with no loss in pay would create a lot of jobs.

Sean