California Needs Real Solutions to Improve State Economy and Secure Middle Class

Statement by California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski

 

“These are challenging times for California and our working families. Our low and middle income families are more vulnerable than they have been in years, with state unemployment rates approaching six percent and a weak economy that indicates an encroaching recession. We need real solutions to help working people get better wages, affordable health care, secure retirements, and provide better lives for their families.

“In his four years in office, Governor Schwarzenegger has made many promises about how he would turn our state’s economy around. But we know that cutting social programs to resolve our budget crisis is not a real solution. The governor is proposing to cut funding from our teachers, our public employees, and our health care providers—a sure way to further erode our middle class.

“We have to fix the structural problems in our budget, and establish stable income sources for the state’s future. In 2008, we urge the governor and legislators to secure our middle class and improve our state’s economic future.”

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