Union Protesters Put Fat Cats Up Against the Wall
Posted on May 13, 2011 4:19pm
By: Sally Goldenberg, New York Post
5/13/11
Hundreds of union members and their supporters marched from City Hall to Wall Street yesterday to protest Mayor Bloomberg's proposed budget cuts -- including 4,100 teacher layoffs.
They also targeted the financial industry for its role in the recession.
"I wanted to march today with the teachers, with union workers, to say to Wall Street that the battle has to come to you," said the Rev. Al Sharpton.
"You recovered, you have now given out more bonuses than many of our schools have budgets for."
Labor leaders and other advocates are pushing to hike taxes on the wealthy to stave off budget cuts.
United Federation of Teachers President Mike Mulgrew said, "The mayor needs to make the choice to use the surplus that belongs to the City of New York and to stop playing political games with children's future."
Mayor Bloomberg responded it would have been "more useful" if the demonstrators had joined him in Albany to protest reductions in state aid.