August 30, 2007 (LPAC)--At its annual Labor Day briefing, given by AFL-CIO International President John Sweeney at the organization's Washington D.C headquarters on Aug. 29th, Sweeney declared the organization was putting the full force of its 10 million members on a grass-roots mobilization to secure high quality health care for all by 2009. Sweeney stated that the organization will hold candidates at every level from local to U.S President responsible for supporting comprehensive health care reform. While he stated that the AFL-CIO is not endorsing a specific health care approach at this time, he laid out a set of criteria that any proposal would have to meet including; covering everyone in the United States, providing preventive care, preserving the right of patients to choose their own doctors, requiring the government to police greed and incompetence (by health care providers, and lower costs. Sweeney announced that the mobilization will begin at AFL-CIO events throughout the country throughout the labor day week-end, and extend until legislation is passed in 2009.

EIRNS's reporter asked Sweeney to comment on the Organization's support for HR 676, Rep. John Conyer's (D-MI) single-payer univeral health care legislation, noting that 22 of the AFL-CIO State Federations have formally endorsed the legislation. Sweeney answered that HR 676 was legislation that "the AFL-CIO could easily support", but reiterated that the organization was not endorsing any specific proposal at this time, preferring to assess the result of its mobilization and challenge to candidates.

EIRNS also raised the issue of any planned AFL-CIO action on the national housing foreclosure crisis, which Sweeney had referenced in his opening remarks, Sweeney answered briefly that the organization has not yet formulated a position and referred the question to the national legislative director Bill Samuel. American President of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Gerald W. McEntee jumped in to respond to the question by phone hook up, stating that Massachusetts's Congressman Barney Frank was planning some form of legislation, and that while he did not know the details he expected that coming from Frank it would be good. Thus far, Frank only known position on the foreclosure is support for the proposal of U. S. Senator Chris Dodd who has called for raising the limit of mortgages which Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae may guarantee, a proposal that breaks no new ground in sorting the needs of the population from the demands of the speculators. Frank is believed to have additional as yet unannounced plans for legislation in the works.

Copies of Lyndon LaRouche's "Homeowners And Bank Protection Act of 2007" were made available to John Sweeney, legislative director William Samuel and others at the press conference.