In remarks yesterday, both Whitehouse spokesman Robert Gibbs and Vice President Joe Biden warned that employment figures set to be reported today would likely be worse than expected. The Labor department had already released data pertaining to the last week in February, which actually indicated that new claims for unemployment benefits had fallen by 31,000. Nonetheless, the data scheduled for release today might "match or exceed January" Biden noted. The Vice President then praised the Employee Free Choice Act as a way of strengthening union organizing, implying that legislation of this sort will benefit American workers ? particularly in hard times such as these.
See "White House does not expect good jobs news Friday", March 5, 2009