FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2011
Media Contacts
Adam Sarvana (202) 225-2435 (Grijalva)
Tim Schumann (202) 225-4755 (Ellison)
Washington, D.C. – In video statements today, Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Raúl M. Grijalva and Keith Ellison voiced their support for the workers of Wisconsin and decried the ideological attempts of conservatives to cut jobs and benefits for working families.
The statements come as Wisconsin’s Republican governor, Scott Walker, seeks to slash the benefits and collective bargaining rights of workers in Wisconsin. The co-chairs voiced their solidarity with the people of Wisconsin and their belief in the fundamental right of workers to bargain for a fair pay and benefits.
The co-chairs see the cuts as part of a larger Republican “No Jobs Agenda” to destroy jobs and cut benefits, making working families pay while handing over billions in subsidies to corporate interests.
“We understand we have issues to deal with in terms of the budget,” Grijalva says in his video statement, “but they should not be on the backs of working people. We should not rob them of their fundamental right to bargain collectively and be able to make their lives in the workplace and their homes better.”
“We are enormously proud of you,” Ellison says to the working people of Wisconsin and the country. “There’s nothing wrong with collective bargaining, with workers bargaining with management to come up with a fair pay and good, safe working conditions.”
