Friday, March 2, 2012

CA Teamsters rally to tax the rich to pay for education


All eyes on the Teamster truck.
Our Joint Council 7 brothers and sisters joined hundreds of 99 percenters at the San Francisco Civic Center yesterday for a rally against education cuts.
We had three demands: Fully fund public education. Fully fund social services. Tax the rich.

As the San Francisco Labor Council  points out, California low-income workers pay 11 percent of their income in state and local taxes -- a 37 percent higher rate than the rich. In 30 years, the richest Californians' income increased 81 percent while the poorest Californians' fell 11.5 percent. 

No, we don't think that's faiir.

"We refuse to pay for the crisis created by the 1 percen," says the Labor Council flier. "Join us in this peaceful demonstration."

The rally kicked off a week of California action, which includes a 99-mile march that will end in a massive demonstration March 5 at the Capitol.

Here's the San Francisco Appeal with the story:
"Tax the rich," the crowd chanted again and again, led by speakers on a platform strung with a banner advocating a "Millionaire's Tax" ballot initiative that would raise taxes on California's wealthiest citizens.

The rally was part of the larger National Day of Action to Defend the Right to Education held throughout the country today, as several groups from around San Francisco converged for the day-concluding event.