St. Paul, MN – The Welfare Rights Committee is working on outlawing workfare in the state of Minnesota.

According to a declaration that WRC is circulating to gather supporters to the cause: “Workfare forces caregivers receiving welfare to work for no pay in order to receive the monthly welfare grant. Workfare serves to displace decent paying jobs and undermine all working people. If there is a job to do, then it should be a paid job. We urge Minnesota legislators to stop workfare in Minnesota.”

The Welfare Rights Committee has three bills at the state capitol to outlaw workfare. Their statement notes: “The WRC fought workfare in the 1990s and we were successful in getting workfare almost eliminated in Minnesota. But workfare is back and its time to fight again. Join us as we demand a decent life with dignity.” In 1993, WRC exposed the non-profits that used workfare slaves.

“The Pawlenty budget proposal calls for stealing from the state welfare funds to set up slave labor programs. We are ready for a huge fight,” said Trishalla Bell.

To sign your organization on to the anti-workfare declaration, email us. To see the full text of the declaration, to welfarerightsmn.org.

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St. Paul, MN – The Senate Business, Industry and Jobs Committee voted to outlaw workfare – forced, free labor performed by welfare recipients. The bill, authored by David Tomassoni (D-Chisholm), was initiated by the Twin Cities-based Welfare Rights Committee.

The senate committee heard testimony from women who have been pushed to work for free as well as from labor leaders who are against workfare in Minnesota. Phyllis Walker, president of AFSCME Local 3800 (clerical workers at the University of Minnesota) testified about the many unions and statewide labor bodies that have endorsed the legislation.

A Welfare Rights Committee statement noted, “Workfare is an insult to poor parents, who already know about working the hardest jobs for the least pay. Minnesota does not need to do workfare to meet federal welfare requirements. Workfare is a right-wing devised giveaway to corporations – a giveaway of poor mothers’ forced, free labor.”

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In a statement released prior to the forecast, the Welfare Rights Committee stated, “ We expect to hear that there will be a budget surplus again this year. We expect that Pawlenty will again pat himself on the back and take credit for ‘balancing the state budget.’ The truth is, any so-called ‘surplus’ or ‘balance’ in the state budget will be one forged from the suffering of poor and working Minnesotans.”

The budget forecast indicates that the surplus will run about $2 billion, but some of that represents accounting tricks.

The statement also talked about the battle expected this session of the legislature, stating: “Since 2003, poor and working Minnesotans have been standing up to the Pawlenty assault. We have demanded that Pawlenty and politicians undo the devastating cuts to programs for the poor and to instead tax the rich. This year, the Welfare Rights Committee will be working to undo the 2003 cuts, to raise the welfare grants and to eliminate workfare/slave labor in the state of Minnesota. We will continue to work to close corporate tax loopholes, to increase taxes on the wealthiest and to restore all money stolen from the poor.”

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