MD COPE Report: Local Labor Says No to Cuts

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)“Labor will not support cuts to vital programs that are a safety net for the most vulnerable” Tri-County COPE’s Bill Grooms (IUOE 77) told staffers in Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer’s Waldorf office on Monday. “Working people depend on Social Security to get by and they cannot afford to lose any benefits to spare the rich from getting their taxes increased.” Grooms was part of two labor delegations which called on Hoyer -- at his Waldorf and Greenbelt offices -- to  support working Americans by letting the Bush tax cuts for the richest 2% expire and by continuing to fund Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Simultaneous actions happened at congressional offices across the country, with activists holding candlelight vigils, rallies, and even caroling (“Caroling Against Budget Cuts,” UC 12/11/2012). “Many people working in the skilled trades are in bad shape by the time they are 55,” Roxie Mejia, Political Director for the Painters Union, told members of Hoyer’s staff. “Increasing the age requirement for Social Security will hurt these workers.” Hoyer’s District Director Betsy Bossart took notes and assured the delegation that these concerns would be passed on to the Congressman. "Let's keep the pressure on" said Montgomery County/Prince George's County COPE Chair Doris Reed (ASASP), who attended the Greenbelt action. Reed encouraged activists to continue to call Congressman Hoyer to make sure he knows where workers stand - photo: action in Greenbelt, MD; report by Doris Rood & Rick Powell; photo by Doris Reed