Dear colleagues,
Today’s Rally for New York sent a powerful message to Albany and City Hall: the people of New York are united and determined to get a fair budget. The unprecedented turnout — estimated at 70,000 to 75,000 — gave notice that we will not let this economic crisis be solved on the backs of our children and our most vulnerable citizens.
I am tremendously proud of the pivotal role that the UFT played in this historic mobilization and I want to personally thank the tens of thousands of you who were at City Hall today. I wish you all could have seen what I saw from the stage: a sea of people stretched from the tip of City Hall Park to beyond the horizon, New Yorkers at their finest, in the streets to protect their communities, their city and the schools and other vital social services that keep it running.
But today was not the end of our battle for a fair budget. Indeed, it was really the beginning of the work of getting the State Legislature to pass a fair budget. The Assembly and Senate must pass a budget by April 1, so we need to follow up today’s rally immediately with personal outreach to each and every legislator.
Please take a moment right now, before you even go to bed after this incredible day, and send a letter to your state representatives.
We must persuade our elected officials in Albany to ask the state’s wealthiest citizens to also sacrifice by increasing income taxes on the top 5% of earners. And we must make sure that the federal stimulus dollars are spent well — that they go to the classroom and direct student services. Please send your letter to your state Assembly member and your state senator today.
Thank you again for all that you did in making today’s rally a success and for all that you do every day for the children and the future of our city.
Sincerely,
Randi Weingarten
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