SEIU Workers Say NO to Bad Budget Deal
Friday, February 13, 2009 -- More than 75 SEIU workers from Fresno and Tulare Counties rallied in downtown Fresno to urge legislators to vote "No" on the state budget, rumored to be set for a vote on Saturday, February 14.
The budget was prepared with no public review and includes temporary revenues in exchange for deep cuts and a budget cap that makes them permanent. SEIU members also want legislators to hold meetings or teleconferences to allow consituents to hear the details of the budget agreement before votes are cast.
Six members from SEIU Local 521, Local 2004 and United Healthcare Workers told rally participants about how these deep cuts will leave the families they serve with nowhere to turn.
Refugio Castro was laid off on January 31 from Tulare County as a direct result of decreased state money going to Tulare County. He served as one of four bilingual in-home support workers serving seniors in Tulare County. Now there is only one bilingual in-home support worker in the agricultural region.
"I used to work with the seniors so they wouldn't have to go into a nursing home, so they could stay in their home," Castro said at the rally. "The state of California is looking down on their seniors. We can't leave our seniors on the street or in the nursing home. They have their homes, they have their dreams. If they want to be in their homes, the state of California should not take that dream away."
Sharon Esquivel has provided subsidized child care out of her home for 17 years. She said if the state takes away funding for subsidized day care, parents will have no where to turn.
"The governor has some nerve to take this away from the children of these families," Esquivel said. "They will operate on you someday, they will be dentists. These children need what they have today. If you take that away, you are cutting off their hands and feet. You can not do that."
Californians are urged to call their state legislator today and demand that they vote "No" on this bad budget. Tell them you want to know what this budget entails and how it will affect your community.