CTA President Asks RA Delegates to Pressure Schwarzenegger
July 3, 2009
Tell Governor Schwarzenegger: Pass A Fair Budget Now!
“What would a true California event be without a protest?” This was the question California Teachers Association President David Sanchez posed to the delegates during the first hours of the 2009 RA. He filled in the details later, but anyone in the hall familiar with the state’s devastating budget cuts could probably indentify the target: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
As Sanchez explained later, California is facing a $24 billion budget shortfall, resulting in huge cuts in public education. School and college budgets have been slashed by $12 billion and 28,000 CTA members received layoff notices. The budget drains money from education, health care and the poor, but tax breaks to big business remain intact.
The hits on education keep on coming and CTA has been fighting valiantly, but we need your help, Sanchez told the delegates on Friday.
“Some of you who were here in 2005 helped us send a message to Schwarzenegger who was then attacking everything we believed in as educators and union members. We beat him at the ballot box that year.and now it’s time to school him again.”
Got that NEA? It’s time for 9,000 RA delegates to send Governor Schwarzenegger another message.
CTA has produced postcards that they would like every delegate to sign. The postcards have been delivered to your state contacts for you to sign during Saturday morning caucuses. Bring your signed postcard back to the RA this morning. Each state will be asked to bring their delegates’ postcards to the stage, so they can be delivered to the governor’s office on Monday.
Make sure he hears from you.
