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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2015)
Page 6 New Prices Effective May 1, 2014 Martin Cleaning Service September 9, 2015 O PINION Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 $VPDOOGLVWDQFHWUDYHO charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area 3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHDV (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 ,QFOXGHV3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHD (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) Area/Oriental Rugs $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING 6RID /RYHVHDW 6HFWLRQDO &KDLURU5HFOLQHU $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning $XWR%RDW59&OHDQLQJ • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 Working Harder, but Falling Further Behind A dark cloud behind the economic recovery M ARC H. M ORIAL “It is necessary to UHDI¿UP WKDW HPSOR\- ment is necessary for society, for families and for individuals. Its primary value is the good of the human person, as it allows the individual to be fully realized…Therefore, it fol- lows that work has not only the HFRQRPLF REMHFWLYH RI SUR¿W EXW above all a purpose that regards man and his dignity. And if there is no work, this dignity is wounded. Indeed, the unemployed and un- deremployed risk being relegated to the margins of society, becom- ing victims of social exclusion.” – Pope Francis, March 20, 2014 BY Despite the dizzying array of clearance sales and bargains to be found in our nation’s malls and de- partment stores, Labor Day is no creation of our retail industry. It is our nation’s annual tribute to the working class, American worker, whose physical and largely manual labor built this country’s infrastruc- ture and built a labor movement that spurred social and econom- ic achievements for all American workers—regardless of job sector. As we celebrate labor and America’s slow but steady climb to newfound economic prosperity during its most sustained pe- riod of job creation this cen- tury, we discover a dark cloud inside the silver lining of our UHFRYHU\ 7KH SURVSHULW\ RI the American economy is not being shared equally. Too many people are working harder, but are fall- ing further behind. Too many peo- ple remain at the distant margins of the job market—particularly in our communities of color, where unemployment remains at crisis level, even as our economy con- tinues to rebound. The unemployment rate in our country currently sits at 5.3 percent, its lowest rate since May 2008. But take a deeper dive into those num- bers and the tale of two recoveries is clear and unmistakable. While the unemployment rate for whites is at 4.6 percent, the Hispanic unemployment rate is at 6.8 percent and the black un- employment rate is 9.1 percent -- double that of white job seek- ers. The unemployment rates for African-Americans and Hispanics are nothing if not discouraging and telling. These communities, especially hard hit during the last UHFHVVLRQDUHQRWEHQH¿WLQJIURP our economy’s rebound. The ability to secure work that provides a fair, living wage—re- gardless of gender—is an asset to the worker, the worker’s family, neighborhood, community, and ul- timately, our nation. We are an im- mensely stronger America when access to work is not excluded to some, but rather, extended to all. That is why the National Urban League has proposed a 12-point %OXHSULQW IRU 4XDOLW\ -RE &UH- ation. Our plan offers a dozen dy- namic and imaginative measures WR EHQH¿W WKRVH PRVW SURIRXQGO\ affected by recession but left out of the ensuing recovery, while also remedying many of the underly- ing causes behind the recession’s LQRUGLQDWH DQG DPSOL¿HG LPSDFW on the communities we serve. The blueprint calls for restoring WKH 6XPPHU<RXWK -REV 3URJUDP as a stand-alone program; creat- ing 100 urban jobs academies to implement an expansion of the Urban Youth Empowerment Pro- gram; and developing a dynamic, national public-private jobs ini- tiative to create jobs, train urban residents and stimulate economic growth in the areas of technology and broadband, health care, man- ufacturing, transportation, public infrastructure and clean energy. Our proposals would also boost minority participation in informa- tion and communication technol- ogy industries; reform, revise and reauthorize the Workforce Invest- ment Act to prepare and retrain workers for 21st century jobs; create Green Empowerment Zones; expand small business lending; initiating tax reform that reduces rates across the board and eliminates tax loopholes; establish and promote multilateral interna- tional trade policies that expand the market for American goods and VHUYLFHVHQDFWWKH8UEDQ-REV$FW expand the hiring of housing coun- selors nationwide; and fund direct job creation in cities and states. We continue to urge Congress and the White House to adopt these measures without delay. The standard of living many of us take for granted today was won for us through the determination and organized protests of the Ameri- can worker. The solidarity of the workers of the past must be reborn in our political discourse today as we collectively strive to open blocked pathways to work, suc- cess and the American dream of economic mobility. We must all work together—in- dividuals, politicians and corpo- rations—to ensure the possibility of work for fair wages for all who seek it. Marc H. Morial is president DQG FKLHI H[HFXWLYH RI¿FHU RI WKH National Urban League.