GOP STATE BUDGET COMPROMISE MEANS MORE PROFITS FOR BANKS
GOP STATE BUDGET COMPROMISE MEANS MORE PROFITS FOR
BANKS
Service Employees Union Calls on Minnesota Banks to Waive
Interest and Fees for Schools Forced to Borrow
Saint Paul, MN – SEIU Local 284 Executive Director Carol
Nieters issued the following statement regarding the budget passed today by
GOP legislative leaders.
“As
details of the state budget bills emerge, the real winners are becoming clear:
corporate special interests – especially banks – and multi-millionaire CEOs.
Rather than ask multi-millionaires to pay
their fair share, the GOP legislative leaders have chosen to use irresponsible
one-time borrowing that put the burden, literally, on our children, in monies
borrowed from our schools and junk bonds borrowed against future tobacco
settlement revenues, while generating benefits for the corporate special
interests that stand to benefit from these financial gimmicks.
These banks are a member of our community,
and they rely on a well-educated Minnesota workforce. We are calling on
banks like Wells Fargo and US Bank to lead by stepping forward and offering to
waive interest and fees on borrowing forced on our schools by these GOP budget
gimmicks. To do otherwise would be shameful. We bailed out the banks – now it’s time they recognize their role in helping
the communities they serve.”
In just one example, the
St. Paul Public Schools will now be forced to borrow $30 million because of the
irresponsible GOP budget shift, costing the district at
least $450,000 in interest and fees. (Hawkins,
Beth; http://www.minnpost.com/learningcurve/2011/07/19/30121/state_holdback_of_funds_will_kick_charter_schools_especially_hard,
July 19th, 2011)
That means more layoffs, less programs, and in the end,
the students pay the price.
At 11:00am on Thursday
morning, SEIU joins with other Minnesotans to rally in the State Capitol Rotunda to speak out about a budget that mortgages our schools to further benefit corporate special interests and multi-millionaire CEOs that
have taken too much already.
The Service Employees International Union
(SEIU) Minnesota State Council works to improve the lives of working people and
their families. The State Council coordinates the electoral, legislative and
outreach work of the SEIU Locals in Minnesota to increase the
effectiveness of their collective bargaining and new member organizing
campaigns. By building the political involvement of over 30,000 SEIU
members in schools, health care, and property services throughout the state,
the State Council is working to improve the lives of all Minnesotans. The
State Council’s board is comprised of elected leaders, members, and staff of
the four SEIU Local Unions in Minnesota.