Contact: Sandra Jackson, 916-325-1550, or Mike Myslinski at 650-552-5324
Teachers Oppose Paycheck ‘Deception,’ Pension Attack Measures
BURLINGAME — By unanimous vote, the top governing body of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association has decided to support two measures for the November ballot that would repeal corporate tax breaks passed by the Legislature in last year’s budget agreement and require corporate executives to get stockholder approval before spending money on politics.
The CTA State Council of Education, comprised of nearly 800 democratically elected teacher delegates, met in Los Angeles and also voted Sunday to oppose three ballot measures in circulation. Teachers oppose the “paycheck deception” measures called the Public Employee Paycheck Protection Act and the Public Employee Payroll Deduction Act for again trying to silence the voices of union members – measures that California voters have already rejected twice, in 2005 and 1998. CTA also opposes the New Public Employees Benefits Reform Act for its attacks on the secure retirements of teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees, which will make it harder to recruit and retain quality educators in our schools.
CTA President David A. Sanchez said teachers are supporting the Repeal Corporate Tax Loopholes Act because in these tough economic times everybody must be paying their fair share, and when big corporations are paying less, middle class families are paying more. Lawmakers approved the $2 billion in tax breaks for large corporations and oil companies without any requirements for these companies to create new jobs. The tax breaks were negotiated in secret without any public hearings.
“The state has cut more than $17 billion from public education over the last two years, and the governor wants to cut another $2.5 billion in his proposed budget,” Sanchez said. “Our classrooms are battered by cuts. Class sizes have increased and vital student programs have been eliminated. Now is not the time to be handing out tax breaks to a small number of large corporations – everybody must be paying their fair share.”
CTA also now supports the Corporate Political Accountability Act, which would require companies to get stockholder approval on annual political spending budgets.