For A CA Statewide Labor/Student Day Of Strike & Action
March 4, 2010
Join the Struggle To Defend Public Education and Public Services
The drive by the anti-labor regents, their over paid executive like UC Chancellor Yudof and Governor Schwarzenegger is to privatize and destroy public education in California. This is part and parcel of the attack on all public workers and public services. With a proposed new budget deficit in California of $21 billion, we face a critical struggle to defend everything labor and working people have built in the last 50 years. The important strikes throughout California at the UC, CSU and Community College system with trade unionists and students was an important first step in mobilizing against these attacks but the full weight of organized labor needs to be engaged. If these cuts and privatization goes through our children will no longer be able to afford education or even get classes they are paying for. This is an emergency situation and we need an emergency response now.
Education unions including the CFT, UPTE and other union locals are calling for a statewide day of strike and action on March 4, 2010 to defend education. Organizing needs to bring the all public workers and the entire labor movement into actions on March 4, 2010 with union action in every city, county and union local in the state and to call for similar action nationally. We need to have not only an agenda for action but also for basic restructuring of the state of California that should include:
1.A ballot initiative next year that eliminates the Prop 13 exemption on business
2.A ballot initiative next year that eliminates the requirement of a 2/3’s vote for passing a state budget
3.A statewide initiative next year to institute a single payer health system in California
4.A statewide initiative next year that would restructure the UC and CSU system for elected regents and trustees from the community and the workers and students who are paying for these institutions.
5.A capital tax of 5% on the top 1% wealthy in California
The need for united action by public workers is especially critical. Public workers in every district and city cannot by themselves deal with this economic and social crisis with local solutions. It is a system crisis and one that not only the Republicans, but also the Democrats cannot solve within the present framework. In fact the announcement from the Obama administration that it will now expand the war spending another $30 billion must also be opposed by all labor. How can we continue and expand these imperial wars when we face a war against our children, jobs and public infrastructure throughout the country. Guns and Butter was not possible in Vietnam and it is even less possible today. The United Public Workers For Action (www.upwa.info) believes that we need to develop a united front of action for all public workers in California to defend public services. The Richmond UTR teachers and the Oakland OEA teachers cannot be allowed to be isolated in their fight to defend public education for our children. This is an issue for every worker, union and unorganized in California.
We also support public forums on Privatization, Education and Labor to educate all working people that this struggle in the schools is about every worker in California. We support a new working class based political movement that will take up these issues and not cave in to the corporate agenda.
We must begin to educate and develop a program of mobilization and an agenda to deal with the systemic crisis. The failure to act now only will deepen our crisis and the ongoing wage cuts and destruction derby going on in California and throughout the country. It is time to take a stand!
United Public Workers For Action
www.upwa.info