Teachers and union members marched in the streets of Philadelphia to protest the state education budget that contains a massive 54 percent cut to public higher education spending. Education cuts lead to tuition fee hikes, making education unaffordable for many youth.
Protests were organised throughout the US on April 5, 2011 against the recent legislative attacks on the unions and the rights of workers to organise (in Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere), as well as the cuts on social spending.
In Michigan, thousands of workers staged a protest march, carrying signs that read “Stand Up For Workers Rights” and “Unions also are We the People.” In Detroit too, thousands of unionised workers marched through the streets. Workers pointed out that the United States government permits multibillion-dollar companies to play by a different set of rules, evading taxes and maximising profits, while average Americans are asked to sacrifice their pensions and social services. In New York City, more than 1,000 people rallied against budget cuts at City Hall. As one union leader put it, “We want our fair share because we do the work.”
Teachers and union members marched in the streets of Philadelphia to protest the state education budget that contains a massive 54 percent cut to public higher education spending. Education cuts lead to tuition fee hikes, making education unaffordable for many youth. Those who cannot afford it are not only deprived of the chance to have a better future, they are also often pushed into social crime, students pointed out. In a town of Illinois, several hundred workers, union and non-union, gathered in Washington Square Park to stand up to attacks on workers’ rights.