PEP, February 2009: Unions protest state budget

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

As Gov. David Paterson delivered his “State of the State” address Jan. 7, a coalition of unions representing more than 1 million New Yorkers converged on Albany in a massive “March for Main Street” that loudly rejected Paterson’s proposed budget.

“Not on our backs!” DC 37 Executive DirectorLillian Roberts told the huge crowd at snow-filledEmpire Plaza. “It’s unthinkable that the governor would burden middle-class and working families and not consider raising taxes on the rich. We didn’t make this mess and we are not going to pay for it!”

At a spirited indoor rally, thousands of unionists filled the Times Union Arena to call for fairer budget choices as the state digs out from under a $15 billion deficit. The protesters included members of District Council 37, the Civil Service Employees Association and other parts of DC 37’s parent union, AFSCME, as well as the Public Employees Federation, SEIU 1199 and others.

The state’s cash shortage was created in part by previous tax cuts, lost revenues from Wall Street and subsequent layoffs of tens of thousands of private-sector workers.
The governor’s budget would slash hundreds of millions of dollars in state funds from Medicaid, public education and social services. Cutting these programs, union leaders at the rally contended, would threaten the jobs of public employees and hobble services for the state’s most vulnerable groups — seniors, children, the poor and the sick.

The unions have urged Paterson to consider less harmful alternatives, such as taxing the rich fairly, dipping into reserves, implementing a statewide economic stimulus package and planning for effective use of the increased federal aid expected in the Obama administration’s economic recovery plan.

The federal aid would represent a vast improvement from the Bush administration, which cut funds for public housing, Medicaid and other programs while it wasted billions of dollars on the war in Iraq. Like Bush’s huge tax cuts for the wealthy, the $700 billion Wall Street bailout has not trickled down to America’s working families. Working-class and middle-class Americans face rising unemployment, Main Streets are becoming ghost towns of foreclosed homes and boarded-up businesses, and cities and states face growing deficits.

Unions say: Tax the Rich
As New York copes with this grim picture, union leaders are asking the governor to implement a small tax increase on incomes over $200,000 and add brackets for higher incomes to generate nearly $5 billion in revenue and restore fairness to the state tax system. They have also suggested that Paterson dip into the state’s $1 billion rainy day reserve fund, which was created to weather fiscal crises, rather than sacrifice the vital safety net of social services.

“We are here for one reason: to defeat the governor’s budget,” said Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez. “It’s a shame to cut aid to schoolchildren, the sick and the poor. It’s time to save Main Street, not Wall Street.”