Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Astonished by Tom Corbett's Remarks that Unemployed Workers Would Rather Stay Home Than Go to Work

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Richard Bloomingdale is astonished to hear that Tom Corbett, a candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, believes that any of the 590,000 unemployed workers in Pennsylvania would much rather stay at home that to go to work.

Where Tom Corbett was canvassing when he made the remark, in Lancaster County, the Labor Department reported last month that the unemployment rate rose above 8 percent or over 25,000 workers.

"Unemployed workers would rather be working, feeding their families and paying the mortgage than living with the uncertainty of not having a job, earning less than half their wages and going without health care and pensions," Bloomingdale said.

"We are asking Tom Corbett to tell us where are the jobs. Unemployment in the building and construction industry is at 30 percent in some areas of the State and the statewide unemployment is over 9 percent and higher in many counties," Bloomingdale said.

"We invite Tom Corbett to sit down with unemployed workers and find out what it is like to live without a job. Unemployed workers are looking for work every day. The problem is that for every job opening there are many unemployed workers."  

SOURCE Pennsylvania AFL-CIO