We hear two views about the high-tech workforce.

On one hand, employers warn of a dire labor shortage. On the other, recent high-tech graduates can't find jobs. Many face crushing student loans that they may never pay off. Mid-career high-tech workers are steadily being let go. Discouraged mid-career workers take lower-paid service jobs after months of searching for a job as good as the one they lost.

AFL-CIO Field Communications staffer Cathy Sherwin sends us this report.

In too many of our state legislatures, the start of the legislative session means the start of another round of attacks on workers. That’s been true throughout the Midwest and across the country, but the Missouri special session has the potential to be a major exception. There’s a great opportunity for elected officials, Democrats and Republicans alike, to make an investment in the kind of good jobs that are so hard to find right now.