Connecticut public service workers send message to Congress: No public service cuts to pay for billionaire tax breaks
AFSCME members, the public service workers who keep Connecticut running, gathered in Mystic to sound the alarm on how federal funding cuts will devastate all public services, from education to infrastructure
MYSTIC, Conn. – Today, AFSCME President Lee Saunders joined with AFSCME Council 4 members – which includes nurses, school bus drivers, 911 dispatchers and other public service workers – for a town hall on how Congress’ plan to gut public services to pay for billionaire tax cuts will harm working families and devastate Connecticut’s communities.
Almost one quarter of Connecticut’s state budget comes from federal funding, and a significant portion of that funding supports Medicaid for children, people with disabilities, veterans, senior citizens and low-income workers. Participants at today’s town hall warned that if this funding is cut, essential public services, from education to public safety, will be on the chopping block, impacting everyone.
Congress’ proposed budget would leverage these drastic cuts to pay for massive billionaire tax breaks. Meanwhile, research has proven that the 2017 tax law – which Congress’ existing plan continues – overwhelmingly benefitted the rich and did almost nothing to help working families. As Connecticut’s congressional delegation is working to stop these cuts from happening, working people in attendance called on their representatives to keep up the fight to protect public services and stop billionaire tax breaks.
AFSCME President Lee Saunders said:
“We’re working with members of Congress here in Connecticut to try and stop these dangerous public service cuts. They understand the importance of the work AFSCME members do to keep our streets and water clean, protect public safety, care for kids in school and so much more. Still, anti-union extremists in Congress are doing everything they can to gut Medicaid and food assistance, all to hand out massive tax breaks to their billionaire backers. Now more than ever, working people must continue to call their elected officials, send letters, and participate in public action – sending a clear message to Washington. Together, we can organize against this assault on our communities.”
AFSCME Council 4 Executive Director Jody Barr said:
“The 30,000 AFSCME members who keep Connecticut running are sounding the alarm. This critical workforce is already stretched thin – 911 call centers are overwhelmed, hospitals are running out of beds, and public service workers across the state are working overtime to keep up with the demand. If Connecticut loses federal funding, our public services will reach a breaking point, and thousands of working families will be left behind. Workers made it clear today: Our lives, and the lives of our neighbors, won’t be used to fund billionaire tax breaks.”
State Rep. Manny Sanchez (D-New Britain) said:
“I stand in support of the message Connecticut public service workers sent to Congress. The services they help provide and the people they serve remain under constant attack by the Trump administration, all to benefit billionaires,” said State Rep. Manny Sanchez (D-New Britain), who also serves as House chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. “We’ll be doing everything we can in the legislature to blunt these attacks on Connecticut workers and the critical services they provide to middle and low-income families.”
Sheryl Feducia, AFSCME Council 4 member and an Eligibility Specialist at Connecticut’s Department of Social Services, said:
“We help jobseekers find work so they can be self-sufficient. We help families access day care for kids, obtain bus passes and get them back on their feet when they face difficult times – which can hit anyone. If we can’t service our clients, they won’t have medical insurance, food on their table or rent money. They would be stuck in poverty. If Congress cuts funding for Medicaid and SNAP, I can’t even think of the horror that would happen to those families, the children and the adolescents. It would negatively affect every person in this country.”
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AFSCME's 1.4 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations — from nurses to corrections officers, childcare providers to sanitation workers — AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and freedom and opportunity for all working families.