We've received press releases from the Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Council about today's Turn Around America rally in Rochester, and yesterday's gathering in St. Peter.
Today's rally:
Working Families Rally
Rochester to Turn Around America
Labor Movement makes push to seize historic opportunity
On Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 4:30 pm in East Park (E. Center Street and 15th Ave. NE) in Rochester, the Southeast MN Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO is sponsoring a rally to Turn Around America.
All over Minnesota, working families are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Skyrocketing healthc are costs, stagnating wages, increasing unemployment and attacks on our retirement security are just a few of the issues we are facing.
Corporate America and its high priced CEO’s are doing better than ever, but at the expense of working families. And these problems are happening right here in our own communities. Truly, America is headed in the wrong direction.
But this fall, the labor movement will be doing something to change it. All union members and community supporters are invited to join the Southeast MN Area Labor Council for a presentation on an economy that works for all and rally about what our community can do to: TURN AROUND AMERICA
Turn Around America
15th Ave. NE
Rochester MN
Thursday, August 28th, 2008 Time: 4:30 pm.
And from St. Peter yesterday:
Today, the Southeast Minnesota Area Labor Council hosted a Turn Around America event at Minnesota Square Park in St. Peter. Over forty concerned citizens from the area turned out to listen to distinguished speakers on the urgent need to turn around America.
Jeff Van Wychen, Minnesota 2020 scholar said, “The no new tax policies that the state has been pursuing over the last five years were supposed to create an economic boom in Minnesota.” Instead it has created underfunded schools and crumbling public infrastructure and public services.
To speak about how the community is suffering first-hand, Audra Waylett – Security Counselor at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center shared how difficult it has been with pending layoffs for her and her co-workers. Waylett said, “We’ve been fighting for our jobs with everything we have, and the fight isn’t over, and it won’t be for a while and that’s scary.” She continued, “What really matters and what none of us can be silent about is making sure that we have public safety and that we have worker safety. It’s important that we invest in our community by ensuring that we have good paying jobs right here in our town.”
Validating the fear that America is moving in the wrong direction, David Wehde, State Director of Minnesota Working America, said that two thirds of the people they talked to in St. Peter last night signed up to be a Working America member because they are frustrated with “flat incomes, skyrocketing personal debt, and out of control health care and energy costs.”
Special guests also included Ruth Johnson, former State Representative voicing her concern that security counselors at the local treatment center are not receiving the state’s appreciation for the work that they do.
Thomasin Franken, daughter of US Senate candidate Al Franken and elementary school teacher, spoke on the importance of revitalizing our education system. She emphasized the need for re-investment in early childhood education so that parents are confident that their children are off to a good start.
Photo: Concerned citizens at the St. Peter rally.
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