WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Labor and Democratic congressional leaders vowed on Tuesday to keep the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs during President Bush's watch on the front burner through the November elections.þþOutlining his party's agenda to restore manufacturing jobs, Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle blamed Bush's policies for the disappearance and migration to other countries of 2.6 million such jobs since he took office in January 2001.þþ``The truth is George Bush can't run on his jobs record,'' the South Dakota Democrat told 3,000 representatives of 14 industrial unions who applauded every speaker's call for Bush's ouster this fall.þþ``George Bush says the economy is creating jobs,'' Daschle continued. ``But let me tell you, China is one long commute.''þþThe loss of typically well-paying manufacturing jobs has touched 49 of the 50 states in the past three years and pushed U.S. manufacturing employment to a 45-year low.þþThe losses have hit unionized jobs especially hard and were a significant reason for last year's drop in union membership to 8.2 percent of private sector workers from 8.6 percent.þþLabor leaders blame much of the problem on the free-trade policies of the past two administrations.þþDaschle said Democrats would oppose trade pacts that fail to include workers' rights provisions and would push for tax incentives to encourage manufacturers to create U.S.-based jobs, meet retiree health care and pension costs and discourage companies from incorporating offshore to avoid U.S. taxes.þþAlso on Democrats' agenda is an increase in the current $5.15 hourly federal minimum wage, a 13-week extension for jobless workers who use up their 26 weeks of benefits and an attempt to overturn a proposal to make up to 8 million workers ineligible for overtime pay.þþ``We're not going to let this administration off the hook on overtime,'' said Daschle.þþHouse Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California echoed Daschle's legislative agenda and urged the union members to take an active role in the November elections.þþ``This election is going to be won by the party that mobilizes best,'' she said. ``And nobody does mobilize better than labor.'' þþþþ
Source: NY Times
