A 99% coalition of 521 members and community activists marched in San Jose Aug. 28 in support of three critical issues: YES on state Proposition 30, NO on state Proposition 32, and YES on raising the minimum wage in San Jose.
Join their effort: Sign your pledge today!
On Labor Day, tell us why you are voting NO on Prop. 32.
Proposition 32 is a deceptive measure that aims to silence the voices of working families to collectively fight for what they believe in: good wages, good jobs, and good services.
“We need to vote NO on Prop 32 or the 99 percent is going to lose its voice,” said Connie Chew, a Senior Paralegal for Santa Clara County. “We need to get the one percent to stop shutting us down.”
Coalition members gathered for a rally at Martin Luther King, Jr. Library for an ice cream social and rally before marching to the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce with their message of social justice.
The San Jose Living Wage Coalition is aiming to pass Measure D, which will raise the minimum wage in San Jose to $10.
The Chamber of Commerce has opposed the bump in pay for working families.
“Everybody who works shouldn’t have to live in poverty,” said Saul Gonzalez of Café J, the Campus Alliance for Economic Justice. “Eight dollars is simply not enough. Vote YES on Measure D, because it’s time for ten.”
Dom Payne, a Gilroy Unified School District Trustee, also urged everyone to vote YES on Proposition 30, which will raise much-needed revenues for schools and public safety services.
“We need to look at investing back in education,” Dom said. “When we invest in education, we invest in our children, we invest in our future, and we invest in ourselves. We have to say YES on 30.“
The South Bay Labor Council; Communications Workers of America; and the California Alliance for Retired Americans also participated in the event.
