It's Time To Fight Back!
United Public Workers for Action
We stand for a General Strike Action and A Democratic Labor Party. A Party that will: defend Public Services, Stop Privatization, Union Busting and the Destruction of Public Education. The emergency week of action called for by the California Teachers Association (CTA) and supported by the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) was sparked by growing anger among teachers and supporters of public education that the massive budget cuts need to stop now to defend public education. WE CANNOT WAIT UNTIL 2012!
Governor Brown and the Democratic controlled legislature are pushing a plan for continuation of regressive taxes to solve the budget crisis but have refused to support any initiatives to go after the billionaires and corporations who are making out like bandits. Our unions are waiting for them to solve the problems and it is like waiting for "Godot". The Republicans are even refusing to support this plan and instead are openly calling for even more massive cuts and layoffs.
It is time that teachers, public service workers and working people as a whole develop a real plan to fight back and win.
The United Public Workers for Action (UPWA) is supporting the "Oil Extraction Fee To Rescue Education," which will raise billions from the oil barons. The CTA and CFT need to back this now and get the more than 500,000 signatures needed to put the measure on the November ballot. www.rescueeducationcalifornia.org
We also are demanding prosecution of corrupt administrators and privatizers at the Commission on Teacher Certification (CTC), which has been using its power to destroy public education while using tens of millions in public funds to enable their friends and relatives to open charter schools. The organized union busting in education is being supported by the Democratic leadership such as Assembly leader, John Perez, who voted for privatization and more charters and Senate leader, Darrel Steinberg, who supported privatizer Gloria Romero by giving her thousands of dollars in campaign funds. They pushed for tax subsidies of billions for the corporations while saying that we have to cut back education. Our unions should not fight the attack on public education while supporting these union busters and representatives of the corporate agenda.
We are supporting the call for collective strike action by all 1.5 million California public employees. We cannot successfully fight this struggle one school district and pubic agency at a time. We are divided and marginalized if we allow the employers to dictate these incremental tactics. The constant corporate media campaign blaming teachers and public workers for this crisis must be answered by our developing our own democratic media that will educate people about the real reasons for the attacks on public workers and the working class and who is behind this scapegoating.
At the same time, the contracts for the transit workers in San Francisco (TWU 250) and the Oakland public workers (SEIU 1021) contracts expire on July 1 and the politicians are demanding massive cutbacks and outsourcing. We need to unite all workers to back these unions if they are forced to take action.
At the same time, the Democrats refuse to go after the insurance companies, oil companies and the 84 billionaires in California. They say we are broke but this is one of the richest places in the world!
We need a democratic labor party that will push to protect public education, implement a single payer health care system, demand public ownership of the energy industry with the elimination of nuclear power and oppose the imperial wars costing trillions of dollars and the lives of millions.
We should also be supporting a constitutional amendment in California that will outlaw all privatization and outsourcing of public services in order to stop the destruction of our education and vital services Californians need.
If you agree with this agenda and want to go on the offensive please contact UPWA and work to establish an UPWA chapter in your union, city or region.
United Public Workers for Action
5/9/2011