It has been more than 18 months since the financial sector collapsed, exposing rampant Wall Street abuses that cost Utah 83,900 jobs. That's a lot of Utah families' lives turned upside down.

Unbelievably, after $700 billion in taxpayer bailouts, the big banks are back to business as usual. It's time for big Wall Street banks to change their behavior in two important ways: (1) resume lending to help credit-starved communities create jobs, and (2) embrace a small tax on banks to curb destabilizing short-term speculation and pay for jobs they destroyed, raising $175 billion to $350 billion a year to invest in American jobs.

We need jobs in Utah. We should make sure the big Wall Street banks hear us loud and clear: Pay your fair share to restore the jobs you destroyed, stop fighting financial reform and start lending to your communities.

People in Utah who did nothing wrong and want to work have paid for the misdeeds of the big banks with their jobs, homes and retirement savings. Now, it's time for our government to hold Wall Street accountable and make them pay to restore the good jobs they destroyed.

Richard Trumka President, AFL-CIO

Washington, D.C.

Jim Judd President, Utah AFL-CIO

Salt Lake City