Don’t Give Up--Fight for a Fair Budget 2010

On Thursday, April 8th, the House Finance Committee passed the Supplemental Budget H-7105 A.  The House of Representatives approved passage of the supplemental budget on Tuesday, April 13th.  The following day the Senate Finance Committee killed the bill and started the whole process all over again.  Our President, Phil Keefe, is at the State House fighting for our rights as I write this.  But we need your help too.

Please call your state representatives and senators.  Tell them that you will not support them in the November elections if they don’t support us now.  Call House Finance Chairman Stephen Costantino at his place of work—Costantino’s Venda Ravioli—at 421-9105.  His voice mail at the State House is full and it does not appear that it is being cleared timely.  He is leading the fight to take away what we have been promised, worked hard for, and paid into from the first paycheck we earned as state employees until our last.

The Supplemental Budget contains harmful proposals that caps state employees’ pension Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA), invades the scope of municipal collective bargaining, and reduces education funding.

Our members have made many sacrifices through concessions, pay reductions, higher health insurance co-shares, lay-offs and three rounds of changes to our pensions. 

Enough is enough!

To learn more about the Supplemental Budget or to contact your state legislators please use the following links:

To read the Supplemental Budget:  www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText10/HouseText10/H7105.pdf 

For a list of RI House of Representatives:  www.rilin.state.ri.us/house/

For a list of RI Senators:  www.rilin.state.ri.us/senate/

To determine your Senator and Representative:  sos.ri.gov/vic/