Below is a statement issued from SEIU 1199 New England President Rob Baril in response to Governor Ned Lamont’s proposed state budget:

“We appreciate Governor Lamont’s spirit to bring all parties to the table so we can fix Connecticut’s looming budget problems. The austerity agenda was rejected in the election and Governor Lamont was put in office thanks to the votes of working-class families.

We see that working people are being asked to make sacrifices once again. But what we don’t see is a willingness to ask the greedy few to pay their fair share. This deceptive proposal presented by the private sector to defund state programs will drain critical resources from health care to further pad the overhead spending of these so-called “nonprofit” agencies.

For the past decade our economy has been booming for Connecticut’s wealthiest residents, while working-class families, black, brown and white, have suffered stagnating wages and declining access to education and social services. We should not balance our budget through austerity measures such as nursing home closures and underfunding of services to treat vulnerable populations such as the mentally ill and addicted.

District 1199 workers support the protection and full funding of human services to meet the needs of the people of Connecticut. As workers who provide quality health care services in both the public and private sectors, District 1199 strongly rejects privatization efforts that will diminish services even further. Making the proper investments in public and private agencies is critical to ensure positive health care outcomes for all Connecticut residents.”