Friend:
The fight to get Congress to fund the front lines is heating up. We’re pulling out all the stops to make sure lawmakers understand the pressing need for a big package of aid to state and local governments.
We’ve done something we don’t do very often: we’re advertising on television, with two powerful commercials that make it plain how urgent the situation is.
Watch the ads – then make sure you take action by contacting your member of Congress right away.
Day after grueling day, public service workers head out to battle this global pandemic. It’s hard enough to do these essential jobs under such dangerous conditions – very often without personal protective equipment. But now, AFSCME members also have the possibility of layoffs hanging over their heads.
State and local governments are on the verge of fiscal collapse and will start letting people go if they don’t get help from Washington. Some politicians say there isn’t enough money. But the money is always there to bail out big banks or pay for tax cuts for the rich. Can you remember the last time Wall Street was asked to tighten its belt and do more with less?
This isn’t about partisanship. It’s about clean water, road repairs, safe schools, first responders and well-staffed hospitals. And the bottom line is this: we can’t defeat the coronavirus and reopen the economy without strong, well-funded public services.
We’re shouting this message from the rooftops – and now over the airwaves.
Your senators return to Washington today. Make sure they hear you. Make sure they know you deserve respect for putting your lives on the line for us every day. Make sure they fund the front lines.
In solidarity,
Lee Saunders
AFSCME President
