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Layoffs Threatened
Public employees, unions, the needy, and all Californians are in a fight—and it’s a big one—for a fair share of the state budget. The populations served by Local 535 union members will be hit the hardest if the proposed cuts are allowed to get through the budget process. An intensive lobbying effort is underway by the union to carry the battle to Sacramento in June and July. In the real world, where we work everyday to deliver critical services to those most in need, the consequences are even more drastic. “I am really afraid that these human services, which have always taken a heavy hit because they have the least powerful constituency, will take an even heavier share of the hit this time. And that hits the county precisely where it hurts the most, since we are the provider of last resort when it comes to human services like health care for the poor, public assistance programs, and the like,” said L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. (L.A. Business Journal 5/6/02) Change “L.A. County” to the one you live in or work for and substitute the supervisor of your choice for Yaroslavsky and it will remain true. Substitute municipality or a non-profit receiving public funding for “county” and it will remain true. The magnitude of the current budget deficit is so great that raising revenues or cutting budgets alone won’t help. There is no doubt that both tax increases and budget cuts will happen. What is in doubt, what we can have an impact on, is whether or not Yaroslavsky’s observation about human services having “the least powerful constituency” is true. The union has two options. It can confirm the L.A. supervisor’s view that the work we do has the “least powerful constituency” and roll over and let the worst happen to us and those who depend on us, or it can challenge California’s Assembly, Senate, and governor to do what is necessary to protect those who can’t afford to sacrifice anymore. While Governor Davis endorses a “balanced approach,” the amount and severity of the cuts he proposes would disproportionately impact poor and working families who will lose their access to health care and other vital public services. While polls have shown varying levels of voter support for cutting spending to balance the state budget, they have consistently found that voters oppose cuts to most specific services, including education, health care, mental health, and child care. Even in the case of welfare, a recent poll found that 85% of voters think spending on welfare should be maintained at the same level or increased during a recession, while only 12% think welfare spending should be cut. SEIU has developed a balanced approach to the budget that will go a long way toward meeting this deficit, highlighted by reinstating the top income tax rates for California’s wealthiest 2% to raise an additional $3 billion in revenues and a massive Sacramento lobbying campaign. April kicked off the Sacramento-based phase of the campaign that saw hundreds of purple-clad union members walking the halls of the capitol to call for no cuts to community services and support for people with developmental disabilities. They told legislators that it’s only fair to ask California’s wealthiest, those who benefited most from California’s boom times, to pay a little more to protect our children, maintain the critical public services our communities rely on, and keep hundreds of thousands of California residents from losing their access to health care and other vital public services. There are signs the lobbying is making a difference. The Assembly budget subcommittee voted to reject the governor’s proposed $52 million cut in services for people with developmental disabilities. Union members Richard Greenwood, North Bay Regional Center, David Mulvey, Tri-Counties Regional Center, Lee Hawn, The Arc San Francisco, and Kathy Harden, Valley Mountain Regional Center, all testified in front of the budget subcommittee. Sacramento Lobby Days If you have yet to commit to participating in an upcoming lobby day in Sacramento, contact your steward or union representative right now and tell them you will be getting on the bus. If you don’t know who represents your state Assembly and Senate districts it is time to find out who they are and how you can reach them. Attend the lobby day of your choice: Local governments-June 25, July 18 Courts-June 27 Mental Health-July 9 Public Health-July 11 Contact political/legislative coordinators Jerry Fillingim at (510) 893-8766 or James Johnson at (626) 796-0051 to sign up. If you are not a contributor to Local 535’s Committee On Political Education (COPE), become one now. If you are a contributor and know a colleague who isn’t—it is time to have a passionate conversation with them about the importance of becoming a COPE contributor.
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