Governor Releases 2010-2011 Budget Proposal

“Hurtful”, “Damaging”, “Backward.” These were some of the responses from 1199 members who gathered at the Legislative Office Building to hear Governor Rell’s budget proposal on Wednesday, February 4th.

Rell’s budget ignores what President Obama and a majority of Connecticut residents now recognize—reducing public spending at a time when demand increases only worsens the economy’s downward spiral.

In a statement yesterday, SEBAC, our state employee union coalition which is in discussions with the governor’s office put it this way. “The people of Connecticut needed a life preserver and instead Governor Rell threw them an anchor.”

For many, her proposal went way beyond cuts that hurt. And contrary to her rhetoric of “we’re all in this together and we must all share the sacrifices,” some got a free pass.

Under Rell’s plan, the wealthiest Connecticut residents will still be able to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, leaving our state’s working families, public service employees and the people we serve to carry the burden of lost jobs and service cuts.

Connecticut’s people deserve more from their government than simply joining in the cycle of spending reductions, cutbacks, and layoffs. They deserve a government that invests in its people and infrastructure, even more so in difficult times. Only by doing this will we spark the process that will turn the economy around.

“Our members are ready to be part of the budget solution, but not at the expense of those who need our services,” 1199/SEIU President Carmen Boudier explained. “The message to governor and the legislature is clear: public service workers cannot accept a budget package that further hurts the working families of our state.”

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