Highlights:
FINALLY, AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD!
We need 5,000 signatures by Oct. 26, 2011
For the White House to review our petition demanding the repeal of the GPO and WEP!
SSFAIRNESS has created a critical petition on "We the People", a new feature on WhiteHouse.gov. We need to remind the White House that we are still out here! Once we have 150 signatures, the petition will be listed for all people to sign, and we will be on our way. Forward this to all your friends and family. We need as many signatures as we can get!
HOW TO SIGN THE PETITION AND BE COUNTED
1. View the petition here: http://wh.gov/4KL
2. On that page you will need to set up an account with the White House by providing your name and email--this prevents you from voting more than once on any one petition.
To set up an account, click on the green “Create an Account” button. Scroll down a bit if you don’t see it on the page.
3. Put in your name and email and decipher the scrambled letters. Once you enter that information you will be emailed a password and access link to sign the petition. Check your inbox. When you click on the link they have sent you, you will go back to their site. Scroll down, again, if you don’t see it, and click on the box that says “Sign this Petition.”
This site must be swamped with emails. Please have patience if the process is slow or try again at another time. We need your name on that petition!!!!
PETITION TEXT
Repeal the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision
and restore SS fairness for public servants!
The Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision deny
earned Social Security benefits to more than 1.5 million Americans, mostly
women. They were designed to cut costs for Soc. Sec. and were hastily voted
into law without careful study. This has resulted in the formulas that they
use for persons who have earned pensions from non-SS covered government jobs
being more punitive than the SS measures that they were supposed to
replicate. The S.S. benefits were earned in work not related to their
government work, or by being a dependent spouse. These govt. pensions were
earned and are taxed differently by the Federal government. There is no
valid reason for linking them to Social Security. See "More Info"
on SSFairness.com for references to CRS and NCPSSM reports.
Repeal the WEP and GPO! For more information, go to ssfairness.com.
CORRECTION: Page one should read "Among those who addressed the crowd of more than 4,000 was our own Alice Petrosian, Chief Academic Officer."
]]>
OVERALL GOAL: Protecting public education and essential public services.
SHORT‐TERM GOAL FOR THE WEEK OF ACTION MAY 9‐13: Convince the California Legislature to pass the state budget with tax extensions.
LONG TERM GOAL: Educate and convince communities to change tax structure and achieve tax fairness in order to achieve adequate, stable and ongoing funding for public education and essential public services.
During this critical week, we need to educate, energize and organize members; educate and outreach to the community; and engage in coalition building. May 9‐13, 2011, will be a week of escalating actions ending in a bold statewide unifying activity.
The entire week of action will involve the broad and combined efforts of the Education Coalition (including California State PTA, California School Boards Association, School Administrators, School Employees, SEIU, County Offices and County Administrators, School Business Officials and Superintendent of Public Instruction), parents, all other labor unions, and faith and community groups. The week begins and ends with a group of educators (with others invited to join) taking over the State Capitol. At the local level, members along with the Education Coalition will gather for a rally on Friday, May 13th at Pershing Square (map) beginning at 4:00 p.m.
The success of action week depends not only on how our efforts can change minds and remind the public about the vitality of public education and other services, but more on how our collective and individual efforts can show that education and public good will always be an issue and a topic of highest priority.
In order to make the activities and goals of this week as productive as possible and open to every member, we are organizing around a plan guided by the acronym --
L.E.A.R.N.
Legislative. Every Parent. Appreciation and Allies. Revenue. Not Business as Usual.
MONDAY, MAY 9
Focus on LEGISLATIVE activities:
TUESDAY, MAY 10
Reach out to EVERY PARENT:
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11
Use Day of the Teacher to APPRECIATE educators and ALLIES:
* UTP Teacher Appreciation Dinner at a “Buy in PUSD” business (TBA).
THURSDAY, MAY 12
Promote the need for REVENUE for schools and other essential public services:
Encourage members to support pro-education businesses through the “Invest in PUSD Kids” and the “BUY in PUSD” programs. Check regularly for education supporting businesses!
FRIDAY, MAY 13
It’s NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL:
WEAR RED!!! UTP Regional Rally will begin at 4:00 p.m. at Pershing Square (5th & Olive in Downtown Los Angeles). The use of Public transportation is strongly encouraged, to save on gas, and parking. UTP will have a bus leaving from PHS and another from CTA’s Monrovia Regional Office.
]]>
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}