The workers are represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73. The voting will take place from Monday, March 31 through Thursday, April 3.

Fight Back! interviewed Joe Iosbaker, a clerical worker at UIC who chairs the joint committee.

“In negotiations with management, their chief negotiator Steve Katz said, ‘None of your members are underpaid.’ In other words, management is saying, ‘just be glad you have a job and stop expecting raises.’

“Now management is threatening us that the politicians in Springfield want to cut 12.5% of the university’s budget for next year. They say it's because the state will lose that much revenue when the temporary income tax increase ends on Jan. 1, 2015. Management wants us to give up any hope of a fair contract.

“The three bargaining committees met and agreed to fight on both fronts. Our message to Springfield: No pension cuts! No budget cuts! Make the rich pay their share of taxes! We adopted a resolution to send a message to the politicians.

“And our message to management: We’re prepared to fight, and even strike if we have to. Salaries for top management have exploded while we have struggled to keep up with the cost of living, with no hope of getting ahead.

“We are asking all union members to come out to vote Yes! to authorize our committees to call a 3 day strike.”

Below is the resolution adopted unanimously by the joint meeting of bargaining committees (Clerical and Administrative, Service and Maintenance, and Technical units) of the Service Employees International Union Local 73 at the University of Illinois at Chicago:

Tax the Rich!

Resolution adopted unanimously by the joint meeting of bargaining committees (Clerical and Administrative, Service and Maintenance, and Technical units) of the Service Employees International Union Local 73 at the University of Illinois at Chicago, representing 3000 workers.

The State of Illinois has an unfair tax system. Wealthy people don’t pay their share. In Illinois, the rich pay less in taxes that 42 other states.

Many major corporations located in Illinois pay little or no taxes. Take for example the Boeing Company. They are the second largest arms manufacturer, and get most of their contracts from the federal government. From 2003 through 2012, Boeing had $35 billion in profits, but paid zero in state taxes.

Now the politicians in Illinois want to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the higher education budget, and billions from other programs that benefit working class people.

We shouldn’t pay for this crisis! The politicians have been raiding our pension funds for 30 years because they don’t tax the rich enough. Illinois state workers have met our obligation by paying into our pension fund from each paycheck. Our pensions are under attack already. Now we’re being threatened with this 12.5% budget cut.

No pension cuts! No budget cuts! Make the rich pay their share of taxes!

#ChicagoIL #TaxTheRich #UniversityOfChicago #SEIULocal73 #JoeIosbaker #Capitalism #workersRights #laborStrike

Many workers were surprised by their smaller paychecks because they were misled by the rhetoric of Democratic politicians and the media that trumpeted “no tax increase for the middle class.” What the politicians and media did not make clear is that they meant no income tax increase for households earning less than $400,000. But many lower income households actually pay more in payroll taxes than income taxes and are getting hit by this tax increase.

By allowing the payroll tax to go up, the Republicans showed that their real position is “No tax increases for the rich,” while a tax increase on working people is fine. The Democrats did not even put up a fight to extend the payroll tax cut. This shows that neither party is willing to defend the interests of workers.

#SanJoséCA #TaxTheRich #payrollTaxes #Capitalism #workersRights #incomeTax

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following speech given by Cherrene Horazuk, president of AFSCME Local 3800, in support of raising Minnesota’s welfare grants. Horazuk delivered this speech at the Jan. 8 protest organized by the Welfare Rights Committee. Tax the rich! Defend public services and the people who provide them

We know that the United States is in year four of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression; and

We know that poor and working people are sinking deeper into crisis, while banks, corporations, and the wealthy continue to get bailouts and tax breaks; and

We know that during the Great Depression, working people organized for and won the creation of social safety net programs such as Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, that ensured survival for poor and working people; and that those benefits were expanded in the Great Society programs of the 1960’s to include welfare (or what is now called TANF – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families); and

We know that the vast majority of welfare recipients are women, children, and families of people with disabilities. In 2008, when the current economic crisis began, 28.7% of the households headed by single women were considered poor. In 2010, the poverty rate for single-mother families was 40.7% compared to 8.8% for married-couple families; and

We know that, welfare provides income security and an economic safety net that allows women and children to leave abusive situations; and

We know that our communities are facing high unemployment, shortage of living wage jobs and the foreclosure crisis has caused rents to spike; and

We know that people are running out of unemployment insurance without a job that pays the bills to take its place; and

We know that 150 clerical workers at the U lost their jobs during this crisis. Jobs that barely paid enough to take care of their families. Now they are trying to live on unemployment and we know some have turned to public assistance.

We know that welfare creates a floor below which wages cannot fall; and

We know that public employees are on the front lines when families in our communities come in needing help and we see how inadequate the welfare grants are to meet families’ needs; and

We know that same politicians and media pundits who vilify public employees also vilify the clients we serve – the recipients of social safety net programs; and

We know that these same politicians try to turn us against each other; giving a choice between saving welfare programs or saving public sector jobs

We know, in our fight to defend our jobs; our most logical allies are the recipients of the services we provide; and

Today is the opening day of the legislative session and the state legislature and Governor Dayton have to set priorities and make choices.

They can listen to the people – the 99%, those who elected them. Or they can listen to the corporations and ruling elite – the 1%.

They can fund desperately needed services, and create public jobs with good pay and benefits, – supporting the people who really drive this economy – the working people who make things run, and the poor and unemployed who are desperately looking for a step up and the ability to care for themselves and their families.

Or they can give more handouts to the corporations and the elite who will enrich themselves.

They can rob Peter to pay Paul.

Or they can tax the rich.

We demand that they hold public institutions like the U of M accountable, and that the U stop bloating the administration while cutting frontline jobs and raising tuition.

We demand that they increase the TANF grants; which have not seen a single increase in 26 years; and

We demand that vital services are universally available and fully funded; and

We demand that they increase child care subsidies in addition to increasing TANF funds, so as to ensure a livable wage for childcare providers and full welfare benefits for recipients; and

We demand that they fund social programs that base their success on helping families achieve economic self-sufficiency through training and job placements that lead to stable jobs, living wages, good benefits and career ladders; and

We demand that they tax the rich.

#StPaulMN #WelfareRightsCommittee #TaxTheRich #AFSCME3800 #CherreneHorazuk

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following speech given by Cherrene Horazuk, president of AFSCME Local 3800, in support of raising Minnesota’s welfare grants. Horazuk delivered this speech at the Jan. 8 protest organized by the Welfare Rights Committee. Tax the rich! Defend public services and the people who provide them

We know that the United States is in year four of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression; and

We know that poor and working people are sinking deeper into crisis, while banks, corporations, and the wealthy continue to get bailouts and tax breaks; and

We know that during the Great Depression, working people organized for and won the creation of social safety net programs such as Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, that ensured survival for poor and working people; and that those benefits were expanded in the Great Society programs of the 1960’s to include welfare (or what is now called TANF – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families); and

We know that the vast majority of welfare recipients are women, children, and families of people with disabilities. In 2008, when the current economic crisis began, 28.7% of the households headed by single women were considered poor. In 2010, the poverty rate for single-mother families was 40.7% compared to 8.8% for married-couple families; and

We know that, welfare provides income security and an economic safety net that allows women and children to leave abusive situations; and

We know that our communities are facing high unemployment, shortage of living wage jobs and the foreclosure crisis has caused rents to spike; and

We know that people are running out of unemployment insurance without a job that pays the bills to take its place; and

We know that 150 clerical workers at the U lost their jobs during this crisis. Jobs that barely paid enough to take care of their families. Now they are trying to live on unemployment and we know some have turned to public assistance.

We know that welfare creates a floor below which wages cannot fall; and

We know that public employees are on the front lines when families in our communities come in needing help and we see how inadequate the welfare grants are to meet families’ needs; and

We know that same politicians and media pundits who vilify public employees also vilify the clients we serve – the recipients of social safety net programs; and

We know that these same politicians try to turn us against each other; giving a choice between saving welfare programs or saving public sector jobs

We know, in our fight to defend our jobs; our most logical allies are the recipients of the services we provide; and

Today is the opening day of the legislative session and the state legislature and Governor Dayton have to set priorities and make choices.

They can listen to the people – the 99%, those who elected them. Or they can listen to the corporations and ruling elite – the 1%.

They can fund desperately needed services, and create public jobs with good pay and benefits, – supporting the people who really drive this economy – the working people who make things run, and the poor and unemployed who are desperately looking for a step up and the ability to care for themselves and their families.

Or they can give more handouts to the corporations and the elite who will enrich themselves.

They can rob Peter to pay Paul.

Or they can tax the rich.

We demand that they hold public institutions like the U of M accountable, and that the U stop bloating the administration while cutting frontline jobs and raising tuition.

We demand that they increase the TANF grants; which have not seen a single increase in 26 years; and

We demand that vital services are universally available and fully funded; and

We demand that they increase child care subsidies in addition to increasing TANF funds, so as to ensure a livable wage for childcare providers and full welfare benefits for recipients; and

We demand that they fund social programs that base their success on helping families achieve economic self-sufficiency through training and job placements that lead to stable jobs, living wages, good benefits and career ladders; and

We demand that they tax the rich.

#StPaulMN #WelfareRightsCommittee #TaxTheRich #AFSCME3800 #CherreneHorazuk

St. Paul, MN – Hundreds of people filled the Minnesota State Capitol rotunda here, Jan. 8, the opening day of the state legislature, joining protests to demand justice. The Welfare Rights Committee put forward the demands: “Tax the rich; no more cuts; raise the welfare grants.” Idle No More, which brought together Native Americans and others, drummed and danced in the rotunda under the slogan: “Honor the women, water and land.” Then the North Star Energy Coalition rallied to say no to the planned tar sands oil pipeline.

Speaking to the protest on the capitol steps, Barb Bordner of the Welfare Rights Committee stated, “We are here, on the opening day of the 2013 legislative session, to say, ‘Justice for poor and working people! Undo the cuts! Tax the rich! Raise the welfare grants!’” Bordner added, “Welfare grants have not been increased since 1986 – 27 years ago. In 1986 the monthly cash grant for a family of two was...$437. Today, in 2013, the maximum cash grant is still...$437. This is an outrage. The cost of living has more than doubled since 1986, but the poorest of the poor in Minnesota are stuck living 70% below the poverty line. We say, ‘Double the welfare grants!’”

After rallying outside, the groups joined in the capitol rotunda. Capitol security had stopped the Native American drums of Idle No More. But then the drums started beating again and the crowd immediately surged forward, locking elbows and forming security circles around the drummers and singers, who continued on without any more police interference.

Later, members and supporters of the Welfare Rights Committee marched through the capitol, chanting loudly: “Hey politicians, take a stance! Raise the grants! Raise the grants!” and “Hey politicians, here’s the fix: Raise the grants! Tax the rich!” They went to the chambers of both the House and the Senate and then Governor Mark Dayton’s office, where they presented giant checks for $437 – the monthly amount for public assistance – and challenged politicians to live on that amount for a month.

The Welfare Rights Committee is working to introduce legislation to raise the grants this session. Capitol insiders say that a small group of reactionary ‘non-profits’ are working behind the scenes to block this effort.

The WRC protest was backed by a broad range of labor and community groups, including African Women in Politics, AFSCME Local 3800, Anti War Committee, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha, Children's Defense Fund, Communities United Against Police Brutality, JOBS Now Coalition, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, MN ADAPT, MPLS Street Medic, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, Occupy Homes, Occupy Minneapolis, Occupy Minneapolis Events, Occupy St Paul, Occupy the Hood, Old Lesbians Organizing for Change, Pro-Choice Resources, Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio, Student Association for the Advancement of Children as People, Students for a Democratic Society University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Twin Cities RISE!, Unite Here Local 17, Welfare Rights Committee, Women Against Military Madness and the Women's Student Activist Collective – University of Minnesota.

#StPaulMN #WelfareRightsCommittee #TaxTheRich #UniversityOfMinnesota #IdleNoMore

Minneapolis, MN – Members of the Welfare Rights Committee and others gathered here, Jan. 6, to make signs and banners for the major Jan. 8 protest that will demand, “Raise the welfare grants; no more cuts; tax the rich.”

The protest will start at 11:30 a.m. on the front steps of the Minnesota State Capitol and will coincide with the opening day of the legislative session.

The public assistance grants have not gone up for 26 years, and if Minnesota’s welfare program (MFIP) had been indexed for inflation the grants would be more than double what they are now.

#MinneapolisMN #TaxTheRich #welfare #MinnesotaWelfareRightsCoalition

Winston-Salem, NC – On April 16, local residents and members of Occupy Winston-Salem held a demonstration at the U.S. Post Office in the Waughtown area. Protesters demanded that the only post office in the community not be closed down.

Across the country, hundreds of U.S. post offices are on a closure list, based upon the amount of revenue they generate. For the Waughtown area, which is known to be one of the most diverse, predominantly working class communities in Winston-Salem, the closure of the one and only post office would be a major setback.

Local passersby honked to express solidarity as they drove past, while others stopped and greeted protesters as they were coming and going from the post office during the day. Shouting could be heard from Pleasant Street to Waughtown Street: “U-S-P-S should not pay for Wall Street’s mess!” – a financial mess that postal workers are organizing against nationwide.

Amanda Porter-Cox of Occupy Winston-Salem spoke out against the closing, “If that post office is closed, it will impact the daily life of all those residents living in that area. Since it is located in a poorer part of town, it is particularly vulnerable. The other implication that will come up is that the 1% is taking over public services, making them private and taking rights away. We cannot allow this to happen.”

Justin Flores, organizer and Director of Programs for the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), also joined the demonstration, angry about what the 1% are trying to force upon the residents of Waughtown. “While farm workers often lack basic human rights,” he said, “our union understands that only by sticking together will we be able to win against those who seek to put profits over people, so I was excited to be there with the good folks in Winston Salem in support of the postal workers and their union.”

Flores continues, “I think this type of work is not only crucial to build the power to push back the Republican efforts to end public mail service, but also to educate and organize our communities about the serious problems that come along with privatization and slashes to federal, state, and local budgets. Whether it is education, mail service or public safety, conservatives are looking for ways to turn everything into a for-profit business, which often fails to account for the importance of these services for many communities. Without good public mail service, the for-profit industry will have no reason to keep good, low cost service in many neighborhoods. Only by engaging our neighbors and families will we build enough political power to not only fight back against the threats to public services, but keep fighting to improve them.”

#WinstonSalemNC #TaxTheRich #postOffice #postalWorkers #OccupyWallStreet #OccupyWinstonSalem

St. Paul, MN – Members the Welfare Rights Committee and the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout gathered at the State Capitol Building, April 16, demanding that legislators tax the rich and stop cutting programs that serve poor and working people. “We are here – the day before Tax Day – to demand that the politicians in this capitol stop balancing the budget on the backs of working and poor Minnesotans. We say it is time for politicians to tax the rich,” said Kristin Rafferty of the Welfare Rights Committee.

Protesters unfurled a giant banner with that message on the steps of the capitol and later, following a struggle with cops from the State Patrol, hung the banner in the capitol rotunda.

This legislative session Republican politicians ignored the tax bill – HF2669/SF2256, sponsored by Representative Frank Hornstein and Senator Jeff Hayden – that would raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy and introduced a host of measures that attack people on public assistance, immigrants and in trade unions. They refused to hear a bill that would have placed a moratorium on home foreclosures.

Speaking to protesters, Ebony Harris of the Welfare Rights Committee said, “The Welfare Rights Committee fought long and hard this year and we have been successful in stopping some of the worst cuts to welfare. We testified, we protested, we chanted in hearings. We were harassed and threatened with arrest, but we refused to be silent! And we stopped the three-year lifetime limit to welfare that Republicans tried so hard to push through.”

“With tax day upon us, we are sending a message that it is time to make the rich pay for the effects of the economic crisis that is being felt in so many of our communities” said Linden Gawboy of the Welfare Rights Committee. “We do not need cuts to social programs and we don’t need to use budget tricks to hide the budget crisis. We need a lot more taxes on the wealthy and their corporations.”

Steff Yorek, of the MN Coalition for a Peoples Bailout, told the crowd, “We demand that Minnesota’s wealthy pay more. We reject the notion that every time the legislature meets, the debate is about cutting programs that serve the people of this state. We want economic justice.”

#StPaulMN #WelfareRightsCommittee #TaxTheRich #Foreclosures #CoalitionForPeoplesBailout

St. Paul, MN – On July 13, members of the Welfare Rights Committee rolled out a huge banner on the steps of the Minnesota state capitol building. The Republicans have pushed the state into a shutdown, throwing more than 22,000 state employees out of work and causing dramatic cuts to state services. The banner reads, “Tax the rich! No cuts to poor and working people!”

#SaintPaulMN #CapitalismAndEconomy #PoorPeoplesMovements #TaxTheRich #GovernorMarkDayton #governmentShutdown

St. Paul, MN – Members and supporters of the Welfare Rights Committee gathered on the steps of the state capitol building here, June 30, unfurling a huge banner reading “Tax the rich! No cuts to poor and working people.” Unless Democrat Governor Mark Dayton goes along with the Republican plan to slash the social safety net, the government will shut down at midnight.

“Time is quickly running out. Rather than make the rich pay one dime for the budget deficit, the Republicans are set on pushing our state into a government shutdown. For working and poor, disabled and elderly Minnesotans, a government shut-down would by far be a better outcome than the deadly cuts that Republicans are trying to force down our throats,” stated Angel Buechner of the Welfare Rights Committee.

Republican politicians have staked out a ‘no new taxes’ position and want to balance the budget with massive cuts to programs that serve poor and working people. Dayton’s original budget also contained huge cuts to health and human services. Also, in March, the governor backed down on his proposal for a surcharge on the very richest and increased taxes on million-dollar homes. In addition, Dayton has also floated proposals attacking Indian gaming, a move that would balance the budget on the backs of Native Americans.

The governor has stated recently that he wants to compromise 50-50 with the republicans. The Welfare Rights Committee asserts that Dayton has compromised enough. Kim DeFranco of the Welfare Rights Committee said, “We are against any budget compromise that comes at the expense of the people of Minnesota. The rich need to pay for this crisis.”

#SaintPaulMN #PoorPeoplesMovements #WelfareRightsCommittee #TaxTheRich #GovernorMarkDayton #governmentShutdown

St. Paul, MN – As the 2011 Minnesota state legislative session came to order on Jan. 4, the Welfare Rights Committee and the Minnesota Coalition for a People's Bailout chanted on the front steps of the capitol, “Hey politicians, here's the fix! Tax the rich!” This year, the right-wing Republicans have control of the Minnesota State House and Senate. They have vowed not to raise taxes on the wealthy and will make cuts to balance the budget.

Angella Khan of Welfare Rights Committee read the opening statement, “Getting sworn in right now are dozens of mean spirited people…over the years we have seen some of the poor-bashing, racist bills they have tried to push into law. We have seen them try to make cuts that absolutely target poor families and the people with disabilities in particular. In some cases they succeeded, in part because both parties used poor families as bargaining chips in their dirty back room negotiations. In most cases, they failed, because of our fighting back and exposing their nasty deeds.”

Students from the Southside Family School's Student Association for the Advancement of Children as People (SAACP) spoke as a team to raised their voices and put the politicians on notice. Said one student, “We want this to be a year of working for justice.” Said another, “As children, we believe we should have a say in what happens in our world. It's about time the politicians think about poor, homeless and the children who deserve a brighter future. The time for change is now!”

Other students proclaimed, “Let this be the year to put a moratorium on foreclosures, extend unemployment, have higher MFIP [Minnesota’s public assistance program for families] payments, have everyone get healthcare and to have good and safe childcare. The new governor wants to tax the rich and we support him. Let this be this the year: put working and poor families first!”

“We have a solution to budget. The time has come to tax the rich! We need to go where the money is,” shouted Mick Kelly of the Minnesota Coalition for a People's Bailout, “They need to be taxed and we need to have real job creation. Republicans say they are job creators but they are job destroyers. We need jobs and income now! We say 'foreclose on the wealthy, not people’s homes.’ We will fight for moratorium on foreclosures and evictions. We need to keep repeating and let it be known we will not stand for any cuts. Not one dime, not one cent, of cuts to poor and working people.”

Bernie Hesse, of the United Food and Commercial Workers 1189, said, “We are tired of hearing about this shared sacrifice. [They] use this as a tool on people who have less and less. We need to say ‘share the abundance.’ There is plenty to go around. We need to send the strong message to tax the rich. The trickle down isn't working.

Jess Sundin, of the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression, whose home was raided by the FBI in September 2010, targeted for being a solidarity activist with the people of Palestine and Columbia, stated that she stands with the people of Minnesota to fight for economic justice. “Instead of the government targeting activists, they should be making real homes with food, health care, education and everything that our loved ones need. The fact is that the government goes and drop bombs around the world while they make us and our neighbors go homeless and starve in their backyard. The terrorists are controlling the halls of government. We are not afraid! That is why I am here today. I stand with you to demand change. Let's do it, let's tax the rich.”

Misty Rowan, of the Anti-War Committee, said, “The war that is crumbling our economy, that is crippling my generation and destroying the planet must be stopped. But instead, republicans are happily singing the battle hymn – telling us tax breaks for their friends and cuts to social programs are the only way to balance this budget. We know this is ludicrous.”

After the speeches, the people exploded into the capitol rotunda and marched up the marble stairs and through the halls. They protested and chanted outside the House of Represents chambers and continued to the Senate chambers, with a final stop at the new governor's office. As the protest left the capitol, Deb Konechne thanked everyone for coming, “This fight isn’t over! We will come back and fight for what is ours. We will continue to say no cuts to poor and working people in the state of Minnesota.”

#Minnesota #StPaulMN #PoorPeoplesMovements #TaxTheRich #MinnesotaWelfareRightsCoalition

Minneapolis, MN – Minnesota state politicians were forced into a corner this spring. This year, the Welfare Rights Committee presented them with a choice: to fund human needs, or not. To stop greedy corporations stealing from the state, or not. The bill that presented those choices was one of main reasons that the entire state legislature shut down on May 19, without getting anything done.

The Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) went into the 2004 state legislative session determined to undo the worst welfare grant cuts in Minnesota history. These cuts to families’ basic survival income were part of politicians’ plan to steal money from the poor, in the name of ‘solving’ last year’s budget deficit. One of the harshest cuts was where legislators stole $125 per month from the welfare grants in cases where there was a disability in the family. If there were two disabled people in the family, the cut was $250 per month; three disabled people, the cut was $375 per month and so on. Some families were left with no cash grant. This is just one of dozens of cuts that poor and working families have been dealing with.

WRC members met with state Senator Linda Berglin, chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Corrections Budget Division to get a commitment to undoing the cuts. However, to undo the $125 cut alone, Welfare Rights had to find $16 million per year in the state budget. To undo all of the cuts would require even more money. It was time to tax the rich. The women of the WRC met with Senate Tax Chair Larry Pogemiller and, after some pressure, got a list of ways that the Minnesota corporations were robbing the state. The final result was a bill (SF1991) that undid the some of the worst cuts to health care and welfare. The bill paid for itself by closing corporate tax loopholes – loopholes that were robbing the state of $52 million per year.

The WRC organized protests, press conferences and other actions throughout the legislative session. They produced a TV commercial slamming the governor and House Republicans, which aired throughout the state near the end of the session in May. The slogan from the beginning was, “Fund human need, not corporate greed.” The goal was to keep front and center the fact that poor families were suffering from terrible cuts, brought on because the state said it ‘needed’ to take our money. At the same time, the rich owners of greedy corporations were openly stealing money from the state by cheating on their taxes. And there was a bill to fix both problems. The WRC insisted that the Senate Democrats keep hammering on this point as well.

The message was strong, clear and just, and it drove the Republicans and the Governor nuts. They refused to debate the issues in public, knowing that they would expose themselves for the monsters that they were. They tried to make the session all about queer-bashing, instead of talking about their buddies stealing money. Because of that refusal, the state legislature adjourned without passing a budget-balancing bill, bonding bills or other important legislation.

Last year, the Senate Democrats sold out poor and working Minnesotans, and faced our wrath and disgust. So far this year, the Democrats have been holding to undoing the cuts and taxing the rich. The governor could still call a special session this summer, and these issues could be decided. If a special session is called, the Welfare Rights Committee will be there.

#StPaulMN #SaintPaulMN #PoorPeoplesMovements #News #WelfareRightsCommittee #TaxTheRich #Pawlenty #FundHumanNeedsNotCorporateGreed

This tiny group of rich Americans didn’t have to work, with almost two-thirds of their income coming from capital gains (sales of stocks, bonds, land, etc. at a higher price) and dividends (a share of corporate profits paid to owners of stocks). The Bush administration cut the tax rate on this income to only 15%. This is the same rate that workers with taxable income of $7,550 to $30,650 had to pay!

The actual tax rate paid by the highest incomes was even lower. The IRS’s ‘adjusted gross income’ doesn’t include income that mainly goes to the wealthy, such as interest from state and local government bonds. In addition, working people have to pay a 6.2% social security tax, which is not applied to capital gains, dividends or interest income at all!

Of these 400 highest income taxpayers, only 139 paid the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), which is supposed to force this group to pay more taxes. Rather than reducing the AMT, which is what the Democrats want, or eliminating the AMT, supported by Republicans, we need to tax the rich more!

To begin with, we need to roll back the Bush tax breaks for the rich by making dividends and capital gains subject to the same tax rate as income earned through work. We also need to have Social Security taxes apply to all income, not just wages and salaries, and not just income below $106,800, as is the case now.

To be fair, we need the rich to pay a higher rate of taxes, not just the same as working people. Sales taxes, except on luxury items, should be reduced or eliminated since these fall the hardest on working people. Income taxes for the rich and corporations should be raised and the loopholes that benefit them closed. We also need a progressive tax on wealth, including estates.

But even with more progressive taxes, the rich will still be rich, and will have the money keep both the Republican and the Democratic politicians in their pockets. The rich don’t earn their income from working harder or smarter – look at the $20 billion paid out by Wall Street to the bankers who have bankrupted their companies and the economy. The rich are rich because they are capitalists – they own the businesses, banks and buildings. Working people have only our ability to labor, both manual and mental, to sell. A more equal economy can only come about in a socialist system, where land and the places where goods and services are produced are owned collectively or by a government that is run by the working class.

#SanJoseCA #Analysis #TaxTheRich #EconomicCrisis #capitalistCrisis

“Kicking MFIP parents out of education, by mandating 20 hours per week in order to be allowed to go to school. In this job market, that slams the door on education.

Cutting family welfare grants by $125 per month while we are coping with a disabled family member. When a person is on SSI, that money, by federal law, only to be used by the disabled person. This cut either forces SSI fraud, or else it forces disabled people to see the rest of the family suffer because of them.

Cutting family welfare grants by $100 if the family is in subsidized housing. This cut is hard on the family, hard on the landlord, hard on housing stock and hard on every low-income person searching for housing.

Stealing welfare money. The Governor calls it “refinancing” the federal TANF block grant, but we say taking $50 to $56 MILLION per biennium is outright stealing from the poorest of the poor.”

Deb Konechne of the Welfare Rights Committee noted, “Considering that welfare grants have not increased since 1986 and a family of 3 lives on a $532 cash MFIP grant, WRC considers the governor’s proposed cuts unconscionable.”

The Welfare Rights Committee initiated bills that directly counter Governor Pawlenty’s schemes. The bills (SF480 and SF481) put a two-year moratorium on the welfare time limit in these troubled economic times, get rid of the current $50 ‘housing penalty,’ eliminate the family cap (in which a families cash grant does not go up when a baby is born) and make it so more low-income people can qualify for food stamps.

Linden Gawboy, of the Welfare Rights Committee stated, “The federal stimulus package makes it clear that now is not the time to make cuts to basic survival needs for the poor. The governor’s proposal is showing itself to be even more clueless and out of touch. The wealthy have run this country into the ground, despite benefiting from years of tax breaks. It is about time they took a turn at ‘sharing the pain.’”

#StPaulMN #SaintPaulMN #CapitalismAndEconomy #PoorPeoplesMovements #News #WelfareRightsCommittee #GovernorPawlenty #TaxTheRich