PA AFL-CIO: Corbett’s Budget Doesn’t Add Up for Pennsylvania’s Middle Class

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale and Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder said that Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget passes the buck to local governments and school districts, forcing them to raise property taxes or cut essential services and programs to balance their budgets. “Meanwhile, he proposes additional tax cuts to corporations who already escape paying taxes by taking advantage of existing tax loopholes which should be closed,” Bloomingdale said.

“We are deeply concerned by Governor Corbett’s attempt to pit ‘taxpayers’ against public-sector employees. Public sector employees ARE taxpayers,” Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder said. “These kinds of ‘us versus them’ tactics will only lead us to an economic race to the bottom.”

“Further, these kinds of statistics should illustrate why Unions are a good thing for Pennsylvania workers,” Bloomingdale continued.  ”It should encourage people to join unions and fight for collective bargaining so that they can negotiate for sustainable wages, retirement security, and quality healthcare. We should concentrate on lifting all workers UP, not dragging them down.”

The governor’s Expand Quality Educational Options To Families And Students is a flawed proposal that will weaken public education. It targets hard-working school teachers, while providing taxpayer money to fund private schools with no academic standards or accountability.

Bloomingdale noted that, “Governor Corbett’s proposal to Maximize Flexibility and Mandate Relief for Local School Districts allows school administrators and superintendents to furlough based on favoritism, rather than qualifications.”

Snyder added that, “Governor Corbett’s proposal to Increase Bid Size Limits opens the door for potential back-room deals and collusion verses an open, competitive bidding process.”

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