Employee-Paid

A half-century-old program that helps workers who lose their jobs to foreign trade holds the key to whether Congress may finally approve three long-delayed free trade agreements viewed by both the Obama White House and congressional Republicans as a way to invigorate the economy and create jobs.

What weve got here is failure to communicate" Its more than just a legendary line from a classic Paul Newman film. It seems to still be a (sad) way of life at employers across the country. And its costing employees dearly in terms of both time and money.

When the country recovered from recessions in the past, small businesses were usually the first companies to start hiring. But smaller companies are so pessimistic now that they're not taking on their historical leadership position.

The financially troubled Postal Service said Thursday it may close more than 250 mail processing facilities across the country and plans to reduce service standards for first-class mail in an effort to cut costs.

Courting Hispanics while promoting his new jobs plan, President Barack Obama on Wednesday told a black-tie Latino audience that his $447 billion package of tax cuts and public works spending would put more money in the pockets of Latino workers and business owners and increase opportunities for Hispanics.

As employers have tightened budgets in this economy, they are shutting down entire functions or departments in favor of cheaper outsourcing. The long-term unemployed were victims of budget problems, not talent problems.

From the U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 highlights:In 2010, the percentage of people without health insurance, 16.3 percent, was not statistically different…

The ranks of the nation's poor swelled to nearly 1 in 6 people last year, reaching a new high as long-term unemployment woes left millions of Americans struggling and out of work. The number of uninsured edged up to 49.9 million, the biggest in over two decades.