CNN exclusive: Obama says Walmart, Apple, others to help jobless

[okaawhatever]

Source: CNN

- The White House has secured commitments from some of the nation's largest companies to a plan to boost hiring of the long-term unemployed.
"What we have done is to gather together 300 companies, just to start with, including, some of the top 50 companies in the country, companies like Walmart, and Apple, Ford and others, to say let's establish best practices," President Barack Obama told CNN Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper in an exclusive interview.
"Because they've been unemployed ... so long, folks are looking at that gap in the resume and they're weeding them out before these folks even get a chance for an interview," said Obama.
As the economy slowly recovers from the recession, the number of workers who have not found a job for at least six months or more has grown.
"Do not screen people out of the hiring process just because they've been out of work for a long time," said the President.

Continued at Link:

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/30/politics/obama-tapper-interview/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

[LynneSin]

1. Apple and Ford is great. But Wal-Mart - seriously?

I mean the last thing these people need are minimum wage jobs without any benefits. Perhaps if Wal-Mart commits to higher wages or offer these people management positions that offer a bit of salary & benefits.

But Wal-mart can only make the issue worse!

[lsewpershad]

5. Agreed

Wal-Mart should start by paying its present workers a living wage.

[another_liberal]

6. Or . . .

The slaves will burn their masters' castles to the ground!

(metaphorically speaking, of course)

[Kelvin Mace]

7. Unfortunately,

the masses seem to have misplaced the recipe for "tar and feathers", metaphorically speaking of course.

[awoke_in_2003]

18. and guillotine making. nt

[Neoma]

25. But I DO know people who know how to make catapults.

THAT hasn't left the arena.

[marble falls]

20. I agree with you. Metaphorically, of course.

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

35. YEs-

So the rest of us are not paying for food stamps and all the other benefits the working poor are entitled to because Walmart doesn't pay a living wage. We are subsidizing WALMART!

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/06/report-walmart-forces-employees-dole-taxpayers

[Politicub]

8. Walmart can be pretty shitty

But in the small town I'm from, there about the only game in town for unskilled workers.

I feel dirty defending Walmart in any way. I'm not really doing that now -- just pointing out that not everyone has a Ford factory in their town.

[WhoWoodaKnew]

22. Agreed. Plus just getting people back to work does a lot for their confidence.

[Cha]

29. My thought, Pc.. about the Walmart. Sometimes ya

just gotta eat when there's nowhere else to work.

[1StrongBlackMan]

31. And I'm pretty certain ...

that someone that's been out of work for more than 6 months and has had their U/C cut off, won't take kindly to folks that have jobs condemning walmart for offering them a job ... even if it only pays minimum wage.

It's like the comfortable, employed folks that cheering the U.S. going over the fiscal cliff because all of the bush tax cuts weren't reversed ... never-mind the 100,000s of folks that got hurt.

[VanillaRhapsody]

2. they often screen out the unemployed altogether...short AND longterm.

I have seen the ads that outright say so!

[bucolic_frolic]

15. Absolutely

We need a thumbs up button for posts like yours.

What are the lt employed to do?

I know, work for yourself.

Producing $225 a month.

[enlightenment]

27. And older people.

Looking for any indication that someone is over 40, apparently - and for the over 50s? Global climate change can't calve off icebergs fast enough to accommodate all of us who are supposed to be floating out to sea now.

[VanillaRhapsody]

30. They check what year you graduated college to judge your age...

I know because I went to college late in life...and I can see the surprise on some faces to see someone my age with a "somewhat" fresh IT degree...

(I am working now...but that wasn't very long ago)

[enlightenment]

33. I'm old enough to remember when this sort of

thing (checking your age, your credit score, etc) was not only illegal but when the law was enforced.

[Cha]

28. THIS>>>>>>>>>>>>

[adirondacker]

3. Can I have some fries with that?

"I owe my soul to the company store"

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

12. Good one...

...! (eom)

[defacto7]

4. How timely...

How ironic.

[Phlem]

9. Or.....

you can just stop signing trade agreements that ship jobs overseas PBO.



-p

[louis-t]

10. "Sure, we'll hire more people, but

everyone will have to take another pay cut." -Walmart

[adirondacker]

11. Well, look on the bright side; Walmart will receive MORE taxpayers food stamp dollars so there is no

incentive to cut them any further.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

13. We're not too far behind China.

It ashame.

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Good, BO, Best Practices is a start

Now don't hide that thought. Keep repeating it until corporations
and companies, and mom and pops HEAR it.

Because suddenly in the past 6 -8 months, there are articles all over
the web about the 50 somethings' unemployment problem, resume
gaps, reference and experience requirements.

Most job apps cannot be completed without these credentials. No one
listens. No one. Companies don't even follow-up with copies
of credit histories or background checks after interviews.

And age and sex discrimination is rampant. "Recent grads welcome" and
even ads specifying they want a woman for this or that position.

The 47% of various capacities are mistrustful, angry to some extent, and are
not returning to consumer spending behavior that will drive economic growth
and profits, and justifiably so. They've given up. It's just about too late.

[rurallib]

16. how about a better wage too?

Where'd they all go?

BTW - APPLE?

[onehandle]

17. I like that, but how about sending Congressional Republicans to Guantanamo?

As enemy combatants.

The 'elected' members of The Republican Party have embraced our American Taliban, The Tea Party.

Round them up or drone them all.

[tofuandbeer]

19. That's me. Phone calls and emails completely stop after 6 months.

[grahamhgreen]

21. At what wage? I call BS. "Best practices" is meaningless. End costly trade agreements, break up Wal-

mart. Start a VAT tax. Bring our jobs back home.

[cprise]

23. Agreed! This is window dressing for TPP. n/t

[randome]

24. Goddamn, now that's thinking outside the box!

That's my President! All those of you castigating him for not creating Utopia? Meh.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[okaawhatever]

26. I agree. I think Obama took advantage of the backlash from the gov't shutdown and got with

CEO's of Fortune 500 companies and said, how do you like me now? Business leaders fell out of love with the tea party when they shut down the government. I noticed during the SOTU that he called on business leaders to "do what was needed, voluntarily" implying that if they didn't he'd make it mandatory. I really thought that was a speak softly and carry a big stick moment. I'm hoping he doesn't let up on business leaders. Since he will have to bypass Congress, it may turn out to be a good plan.

[grahamhgreen]

34. Or he'll do what? Cry?

[adirondacker]

32. I was thinking in a big box.

Sorry