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Service Employees' International Union
David Rolf is president of the Service Employees' International Union 775NW, international vice president of SEIU, and the author of The Fight for Fifteen: The Right Wage for a Working America.
PROFILE
David Rolf
Guest
FROM David Rolf
To the Point
Gunfire brings calls for unity on Capitol Hill A shooting spree targeting Republicans practicing for a charity baseball game this morning in Northern Virginia, brought a declaration of unity from House speaker Paul Ryan. "An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us." But as the Era of Donald Trump gets underway, Democrats are divided. Liberal activists dream of impeachment and enacting a single-payer health system, while party regulars just want to get back to governing. Yesterday, the primary election for Governor of Virginia was a test for both factions. When they get back to business as usual, can Democrats formulate a common strategy for upcoming elections? We hear what happened as both parties call for unity — at least for the moment.
To the Point
It's the "Gig Economy," Stupid… When Hillary Clinton said she was worried about insecurity in the workplace, Jeb Bush scoffed and promised to “hail” an Uber to go to his next event. Bush was supporting the “sharing economy” — and Clinton does, too, despite her reservations. The “sharing economy” is also being called the “gig economy,” because it’s changing the relationship between employers and employees, turning full-time jobs into part-time “gigs” -- liberating executives and workers, but without traditional worker protections. That’s raising questions about taxes and government regulation -- questions that presidential candidates are being asked. Uber is just one of the new companies that “poses a challenge to longstanding notions of what it means to hold a job,” according to Noam Scheiber of the New York Times.
Recommended
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?