CWA 1180 - Political Action

Tax day demo kicks off 1180 budget fight
April 2003

UPDATE 5/03
In a significant victory for New York City's working class, state legislative leaders and the mayor agree to a tax plan that asks the rich to help; but the battle for a fair budget is far from over; click here for details.

On April 15, tax day, hundreds of Local 1180 members came out to officially kick off the union's campaign to fight for a fair budget. It was a great event. "Save city services-tax the rich!" "Mayor Mike: tax your own! Leave us alone!" "Let's get down to the nitty-gritty, we're here to save the city!" they chanted on the steps of the General Post Office as hundreds of last-minute filers passed by. And when the cops took away their bullhorn, they chanted even louder. The message was clear: 1180 members won't let this budget crisis be solved on our backs, again.

The union's fight for a fair budget is part of the struggle for our next city contract. We can't win a good contract without a fair budget. Local 1180 members have been mobilizing in recent weeks around the budget—at the "people's lobby for a fair budget" on March 20, at the tax day protest, through signing the pledge cards, and in union meetings. Local 1180 has also produced a booklet, "The Seven Deadly Budget Sins," that describes in detail the problems with the way the city has historically dealt with budget issues. It has been mailed to all Local 1180 members, and to the entire City Council.

While 1180 members were handing out hundreds of copies of the "Seven Sins" booklet in midtown, Mayor Mike Bloomberg officially released his 2004 budget proposal downtown. As expected, his "doomsday budget" is full of layoffs and drastic service cuts that would hurt the city's poorest residents as well as compromise the most vital of services. While he said once again that there were no "sacred cows" in his budget proposal, there clearly are: Mayor Bloomberg continues to refuse to even consider any form of progressive tax increase, that is, tax increases that ask the rich to do more than the poor. So when he said, "we're all in this together," it rang hollow to 1180 members and others who have done their share of sacrificing already.

Fight back against layoffs, service cuts, unfair tax policies!

DC 37 is sponsoring a rally Tuesday, April 29, 5:30-7:30 at City Hall Park, to protest how the budget is being balanced on the backs of workers. Local 1180 is mobilizing for that demonstration because, of course, we are all in this struggle together.

For a rally flyer you can hand out to co-workers, neighbors and friends, click here.

"There are no good answers, there are only choices," the mayor said in his budget address. Here are some of the choices:

Choice:

Squeeze over $2,000 in concessions from city workers, who earn on average less than $40,000 and took a two-year wage freeze during the boom-time 90s
= $600 million

Or:

Increase the personal income tax by 1% on residents who earn $250,000 or more, who raked in tax cut after tax cut in the last decade
= $611 million

Choice:

Eliminate all after-school educational programs and summer school for all but failing students
= $95 million

Or:

Increase the city's corporate minimum tax, which has not gone up since 1966, from $300 to $1,000
= $106 million

We agree that the budget is about choices. We disagree about the choices the mayor is making. It's time for the wealthy and corporations to do their fair share to help this city in this crisis. It's time we demand a FAIR budget.

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