Back to Home Print This Page Email This Page
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Brian Elliott
belliott@seiumn.org

GOP STATE BUDGET COMPROMISE MEANS MORE PROFITS FOR BANKS

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Service Employees Union Calls on Minnesota Banks to Waive Interest and Fees for Schools Forced to Borrow

Saint Paul, MN – SEIU Local 284 Executive Director Carol Nieters issued the following statement regarding the budget passed today by GOP legislative leaders.

“As details of the state budget bills emerge, the real winners are becoming clear: corporate special interests – especially banks – and multi-millionaire CEOs.

Rather than ask multi-millionaires to pay their fair share, the GOP legislative leaders have chosen to use irresponsible one-time borrowing that put the burden, literally, on our children, in monies borrowed from our schools and junk bonds borrowed against future tobacco settlement revenues, while generating benefits for the corporate special interests that stand to benefit from these financial gimmicks.

These banks are a member of our community, and they rely on a well-educated Minnesota workforce. We are calling on banks like Wells Fargo and US Bank to lead by stepping forward and offering to waive interest and fees on borrowing forced on our schools by these GOP budget gimmicks. To do otherwise would be shameful. We bailed out the banks – now it’s time they recognize their role in helping the communities they serve.”

In just one example, the St. Paul Public Schools will now be forced to borrow $30 million because of the irresponsible GOP budget shift, costing the district at least $450,000 in interest and fees. That means more layoffs, less programs, and in the end, the students pay the price. 

At 11:00am on Thursday morning, SEIU joins with other Minnesotans to rally in the State Capitol Rotunda to speak out about a budget that mortgages our schools to further benefit corporate special interests and multi-millionaire CEOs that have taken too much already.

###

For more information, please contact SEIU MN State Council Executive Director Brian Elliott at belliott@seiu.mn or 612-703-4987.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Minnesota State Council works to improve the lives of working people and their families. The State Council coordinates the electoral, legislative and outreach work of the SEIU Locals in Minnesota to increase the effectiveness of their collective bargaining and new member organizing campaigns. By building the political involvement of over 30,000 SEIU members throughout the state, the State Council is working to improve the lives of all Minnesotans. The State Council’s board is comprised of elected leaders, members, and staff of the four SEIU Local Unions in Minnesota.