State employees who would be unemployed when the current budget runs out June 30 packed the Capitol rotunda and chastised lawmakers with chants of “We did our jobs – then why don’t you?”
The Republican-controlled House and Senate and DFL Governor Mark Dayton remain far apart on solutions for addressing a $5 billion gap in the budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Republicans say the shortfall should be addressed totally by cutting spending, while Dayton is seeking a balanced approach that makes some cuts while also raising revenue through higher taxes on the wealthy.
Numerous public opinion polls show most Minnesotans support a balanced approach. And most believe wealthy residents should bear a greater share of the tax burden.
Members of AFSCME Council 5, which represents 18,000 state workers, and MAPE, the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, which represents 13,000 state workers, held a vigil in the Capitol Monday evening as the final minutes of the 2011 session ticked away.
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| State workers chanted outside the House chambers late Monday evening during the final hours of the 2011 session. |
By law, the Legislature had to adjourn at midnight and can only go back to work if Dayton calls a special session. Lawmakers would need to reach an agreement on the budget for him to act.
State workers, who wore t-shirts that read, “We want to work!” were clearly frustrated.
“I want to continue to protect the health of the citizens of Minnesota,” said Valerie Solovjovs, an AFSCME member and Department of Health employee who works to monitor and fight infectious diseases. “Please let me do my job.”
Liz Erickson, a MAPE member employed in the plant protection division at the Department of Agriculture, is just getting started in her career.
“I want to work,” she said. “There are a lot of jobs at stake.”
A state government shutdown would have a direct impact on employees and on public services across the state – and a ripple effect on the entire state economy, the unions said.
At the rotunda, the unions signed up members to go out into their legislative districts and explain the problems that the Republican budget proposals pose for communities.
While they failed to achieve a budget agreement, lawmakers also did nothing to fuel job creation and help Minnesota out of the current economic recession. Shortly after taking office, Dayton presented a proposal for $1 billion in bonding that would have created some 28,000 jobs in construction and related industries. Legislators ignored his proposal.
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State employees who would be unemployed when the current budget runs out June 30 packed the Capitol rotunda and chastised lawmakers with chants of “We did our jobs – then why don’t you?”
The Republican-controlled House and Senate and DFL Governor Mark Dayton remain far apart on solutions for addressing a $5 billion gap in the budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Republicans say the shortfall should be addressed totally by cutting spending, while Dayton is seeking a balanced approach that makes some cuts while also raising revenue through higher taxes on the wealthy.
Numerous public opinion polls show most Minnesotans support a balanced approach. And most believe wealthy residents should bear a greater share of the tax burden.
Members of AFSCME Council 5, which represents 18,000 state workers, and MAPE, the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, which represents 13,000 state workers, held a vigil in the Capitol Monday evening as the final minutes of the 2011 session ticked away.
|
| State workers chanted outside the House chambers late Monday evening during the final hours of the 2011 session. |
By law, the Legislature had to adjourn at midnight and can only go back to work if Dayton calls a special session. Lawmakers would need to reach an agreement on the budget for him to act.
State workers, who wore t-shirts that read, “We want to work!” were clearly frustrated.
“I want to continue to protect the health of the citizens of Minnesota,” said Valerie Solovjovs, an AFSCME member and Department of Health employee who works to monitor and fight infectious diseases. “Please let me do my job.”
Liz Erickson, a MAPE member employed in the plant protection division at the Department of Agriculture, is just getting started in her career.
“I want to work,” she said. “There are a lot of jobs at stake.”
A state government shutdown would have a direct impact on employees and on public services across the state – and a ripple effect on the entire state economy, the unions said.
At the rotunda, the unions signed up members to go out into their legislative districts and explain the problems that the Republican budget proposals pose for communities.
While they failed to achieve a budget agreement, lawmakers also did nothing to fuel job creation and help Minnesota out of the current economic recession. Shortly after taking office, Dayton presented a proposal for $1 billion in bonding that would have created some 28,000 jobs in construction and related industries. Legislators ignored his proposal.