Obama echoes state of union address in western Pa.

Less than 24 hours after delivering a State of the Union address emphasizing the rebirth of U.S. manufacturing, President Barack Obama arrived at U.S. Steel’s Irvin plant in West Mifflin, Pa., to rally union support and tout his new retirement fund plan, rehashing many of the themes of the address in the process.  

With a blue and white banner reading “opportunity for all” hanging from an overhead crane, the cavernous plant was converted into a stage, surrounded by forklifts, stainless steel coils and a large rotor. A crowd of more than 1,200 people, some better prepared for the cold than others, waited for about two hours before President Obama took the stage at 2 p.m. to speak for about 15 minutes. 

“You just don’t come to the steel city without coming to U.S. Steel,” Obama said. 

Describing the restoration of job opportunities as “the defining project of our generation,” Obama emphasized the economic growth of the past four years and used it to draw attention to economic inequality. 

“Corporate profits, stock prices, they’ve gone up,” Obama said. “But folks’ wages haven’t risen in over a decade.” 

He later added that the minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, is lower than it had been in the 1950s. 

John Fetterman, the mayor of Braddock, Pa., said raising the minimum wage should be the starting point for economic improvement. 

“You’re not really saving any money with a low minimum wage,” Fetterman said. “You’re just creating more dependence on the government.” 

Obama also delved into the disparity between men and women in the workforce. 

He likened present working conditions for women to something from the AMC drama Mad Men, a show set in the 1960s that highlights inequality between men and women in the workplace. Obama said that although women make up half of the workforce, they earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. 

“Women deserve equal pay for equal work,” Obama said.

Mark Ratesic, a U.S. Steel employee, said the president’s speech was very similar to the State of the Union address given the night before.

“I liked the part about the minimum wage and the part about women’s wages.” Ratesic, 22-year member of the United Steelworkers union, said.

Additionally, Obama spoke about the importance of a secure retirement and introduced his new savings initiative that offers an alternative to what used to be a three-tiered retirement system.

“You used to have a pension, you had social security and you had your own private savings,” Obama said. “But today, most workers don’t have a pension in America.”

Obama sees his own plan, MyRA, as an opportunity to offset that problem. MyRA is a personal savings account designed to supplement or work in place of a 401K. The account requires an initial investment of $25, and individuals may put in as little as $5 at a time. The low-risk plan also allows for emergency withdrawal of funds without penalty. 

Throughout the speech, Obama called on Congress to support his initiatives. He said some parts of his plan will require new legislation, such as a proposed $10.10 minimum wage for federal employees, including those who work in the armed forces. 

“Are [members of Congress] going to waste time creating new crises, or are they going to spend time creating new jobs, new opportunities?” Obama said. 

Obama also talked about access to health care, praising the unions for providing health benefits. He urged the audience to encourage their uninsured friends and relatives to sign up for coverage through Healthcare.gov, the government-run website that allows citizens to enroll in the federal subsidies for health care provided under the Affordable Care Act.

“The days when folks are just on their own, out of luck, those days are over,” Obama said.