Press Release: Media Advisory
Contact: Miesha Brown – (559) 447-2590
Politicians must drop demands for $45M cut in local spending
FRESNO—With the second-highest unemployment of any urban area in the country, Fresno can’t afford to turn away money that could be spent in Fresno businesses, keeping Fresnans employed.
But the Fresno County Board of Supervisors wants to cut wages for county employees by $45 million, even though that money is mostly reimbursed by the state and county, and will end up getting spent elsewhere.
Salary cuts for public service providers would reverberate through the economy. As county workers cut back on their spending, private employers would suffer a loss of income and would also have to cut back. Even assuming a conservative multiplier, the $45 million in cuts will mean $60 million less in economic activity, the equivalent of 1,200 good jobs.
In order to coerce the workers into accepting their cuts, the county is refusing to allow payroll deductions for life insurance provided through the union, even though the current contract requires the county to make the deductions and the insurance company has offered to reimburse the county for its programming costs.
Fresno County workers will rally against those cuts, which will reverberate through Fresno’s economy, on the steps of the Fresno County Hall of Records tonight.
WHO: Fresno County workers
WHAT: A rally against cuts that would harm our economy
WHEN: 6 p.m. today
WHERE: In front of the Hall of Records, M and Tulare streets
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The Service Employees International Union is an organization of 2.1 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. SEIU is dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. For more information, visit www.seiu521.org
