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March 3, 2009
Federal victories, including economic stimulus, will help California’s Working Families
One of SEIU’s top three goals at the federal level this year has already been achieved with the passage of a federal economic stimulus package that sends much-needed funds to working families and to states. Medi-Caid programs, education, infrastructure projects, and transportation will all receive funding to prevent cuts and kick-start state and local economies. California’s share of the $787 billion package is estimated to be around $80 billion. This includes tax credits that will help working families, as well as funding for an array of critical services and infrastructure projects. The package will create an estimated 3.5 million jobs nationwide, including 396,000 here in California. » Read more
 In another critical federal victory that bodes well for working people, Secretary Hilda Solis was confirmed as Secretary of Labor last week. Secretary Solis grew up in a labor household, has long fought for working families, pushed to increase the state's minimum wage as a state legislator, and has been a vocal supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act. Finally, we will have a pro-working family Labor Secretary.
But we have to keep fighting in California, where a bad budget deal with deep cuts and a cap passes
On February 20, after days of tense standoffs and more than four months after the Governor called the first special session to deal with a the state’s financial crisis, the Governor signed the budget passed by the legislature. The stalemate and resulting compromises produced ugly results for California:
- Massive cuts to schools, seniors, and vital public services, adding $15 billion in cuts on top of the $16 billion cut in the three previous budgets
- Tax give-aways for large corporations
- A budget cap that will make the cuts permanent and force ongoing cuts to public services in the future
Prop 1A, the budget cap, will force ongoing cuts
 SEIU strenuously opposed the budget cap that the Governor and the legislature hastily drew up as part of the bad budget deal without any review. If approved by voters in a May 19 Special Election, the budget cap, or Prop. 1A, will divert billions of our tax dollars away from our schools, colleges, home care, and healthcare, even in bad years. As a result, our schools, healthcare, and other vital public services will face even deeper cuts in the future and will never recover from this downturn.
SEIU has a consistent record of opposing budget caps. As the front line caregivers and providers of vital services, SEIU members know first hand that we can’t afford to lock in the cuts of recent years. Ranked 47th in school spending, dead last in healthcare reimbursements for doctors and hospitals, and among the lowest in the nation in college graduation, California cannot continue to keep on starving our schools, colleges, healthcare, and other vital services.
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Paid for by SEIU California State Council
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