Mass Work Stoppage Set to Protest Puerto Rico’s Layoffs, Union-Busting
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More than 200,000 people are expected to march in a mass rally tomorrow in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as part of a one-day work stoppage to protest Gov. Luis Fortuño’s plan to trim the budget deficit on the backs of workers.
Using recently passed legislation known as Public Law 7, the governor plans to lay off as many as 30,000 public employees and deny collective bargaining to the remainder of the island’s public employees. The U.S. Commonwealth, where unemployment is already at 15 percent, is set to receive $6 billion in federal economic recovery funds, more than enough to cover a projected $3.2 billion budget deficit.
Fortuño, a former Republican delegate to the U.S. Congress, is using the island’s deep budget deficit as a pretext to busting the union and privatizing public services, the Puerto Rican union movement says.
Holt Baker in New Mexico: Protect the Most Vulnerable
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Around the country, states are getting squeezed by the economic crisis, and state budgets are feeling the pressure. It’s imperative that we fight to make sure state budgets are not balanced at the expense of children and the services they need.
Today, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker is in New Mexico, leading a rally of more than 2,800 people to ensure a just budget that protects children and vital public services.
Standing with New Mexico Federation of Labor president Christine Trujillo, Santa Fe Mayor David Coss and four state legislators, Holt Baker said the proposal for big cuts in the education budget will cost the state jobs and competitiveness in the future.
New Mexico’s schools, universities and state agencies could face 3.5 percent cuts in funding, and employees could face pay cuts as well, as legislators seek to avoid a $650 million deficit. Holt Baker said the cuts to education will fall most heavily on families already reeling from the economic crisis.
Strong Economy Needs Robust Public Sector
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| AFT President Randi Weingarten led much of Tuesday’s convention discussions. |
We will not have a strong economy without a strong public sector. Over the past decade, the budgets of state and local governments have been decimated by tax cuts and the recession.
Today, delegates to the AFL-CIO Convention recognized the economic free fall not only threatens the stability of the economy, but also jeopardizes the welfare of our most vulnerable citizens, public safety and health and the protection of our environment.
Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO President Saundra Williams said conservatives have demonized government for decades, leading to official neglect and disinvestment in public services. Government responsibilities have been privatized or outsourced.
The results are clear, whether it’s the tragically slow and inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina or the financial crisis, which shows the consequences of failing to regulate corporate behavior.
Indiana Working Families Share Economic Concerns with AFL-CIO President Sweeney
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Rita Dongas, communications coordinator for the Indiana State AFL-CIO, joined AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and workers in a roundtable session yesterday to discuss their concerns as we move toward the elections.
“It’s not like you can just find another job. There aren’t any around here,” said Kathleen South of IUE-CWA Local 919 at yesterday’s worker roundtable in Indianapolis. South, who recently lost her job after the Visteon plant she worked at for 22 years closed down in March, was one of eight recently displaced workers from across Indiana who shared their stories at the roundtable hosted by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Indiana State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Joe Breedlove.
South continued:
I’ll be OK for a few more months but I know that eventually, I’m going to lose the house.
