Public Employees Rally Tuesday: Demand Politicians Create Budgets that Put Working Families First

On Tuesday, public employees from four major unions in Philadelphia (TWU 234, AFSCME D.C. 33 and D.C. 47 and SEIU 32BJ), will hold a rally to demand that local and state politicians do not solve the city and state fiscal shortfall on the backs of working class families and public employees.Squeezing low-wage workers is no way to deal with the economic crisis,said Wayne MacManiman, 32BJ Mid-Atlantic Area Director. We are calling on Mayor Nutter to protect the wages of the working people who keep our City running.”The rally comes at a critical time, as workers in AFSCME DC 33 and DC 47 as well as police and firefighters have been working without a contract since June 30th. While these unions are currently in contract negotiations with the City of Philadelphia, there is speculation that it will be difficult to find compromise as the Mayor seeks to flatten workers' wages and cut contributions in healthcare and pension.

Check out MMP's audio and video coverage of the last public employees rallyhere

President of D.C. 47, Cathy Scott, explained of the rally and contract negotiations: "AFSCME members in Philadelphia had contracts expire on June 30, 2009. On July 10 the City made its health care proposal which greatly reduces benefits. It is particulaerly disturbing that the City had no proposal to join DC47's wellness initiative which the City has had more than a year to evaluate. Our Health and Welfare fund is focusing on keeping our members healthy thereby reducing costs in the long run."Municipal workers around the country are having similar problems to our public employees. In Toronto, municipal workers have been on strike for almost a month because they are not getting a full three percent cost of living raise.

Along with the municipal unions, Transit Workers Union local 234, has been working without a contract since March and reportedly talks between the union and city have stalled. Likewise security guards that are members of SEIU 32BJ, currently working at city-run homeless shelters, have seen their salaries slashed by the city. Together these four unions are standing together to demand the city and state put our working families first and create a budget that looks out for those communities that make this city run. Please join the unions on Tuesday

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