Union chief visits Cal Maritime Academy, pushes Gov. Brown's tax package

The Nov. 6 election is more than two months away, but it's not too early to start campaigning for more college funding, a union chief told California Maritime Academy staff Thursday.

California State University Employees Union president Patrick Gantt told about 35 Cal Maritime classified staff and teachers they need to work for passage of Proposition 30.

Officials from the CSUEU, the union representing 14,500 classified workers in the California State University, are on the road going from campus to campus to spread their message about the need to pass the Brown tax package.

A constitutional amendment, passage of the ballot measure would balance the budget lawmakers have already passed, and its failure would mean more cut budgets.

"Proposition 30 is a no-brainer," Gantt said.

Both the CSU system and the University of California schools would lose an estimated $250 million each in "trigger cuts" should voters reject the taxes in November, he said.

"We need another $250 million cut like we need a hole in the head," he said. "We don't want any more cuts."

Proposition 30 increases personal income tax on annual earnings of more than $250,000, and also increase sales and use taxes.

The measure also would allocate temporary tax revenues to K-12 schools and to community colleges, and provide funding to a variety of other services, as well.

Union members are also adamantly opposed to Proposition 32 which prohibits union political fundraising,

including the Napa-Solano Central Labor Council.

Unions would be curtailed on politicking during elections through several methods, including elimination of contributions by payroll deductions and also restricting contributions to individual candidates.

Contact staff writer Sarah Rohrs at srohrs@timesheraldonline.com or (707) 553-6832. Follow her on Twitter @SarahVTH.

Source: http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_21335002/csu-union-chief-visits-cal-maritime-academy-lobby?source=rss_emailed

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