Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Jesse Kudler

617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

Fight for Philly and One Philadelphia to deliver tax petitions to Council and Mayor in call for school funding

Philadelphia, PA – Fight for Philly and the One Philadelphia Coalition will attend Tuesday’s City Council public hearing on the public schools budget to demand fair taxes and adequate school funding.  Fight for Philly members will testify about the need to raise revenue to guarantee a quality education for all residents of the city.  The coalition will then drop petitions calling for policies to ensure that working families and lower-income people are not hurt by the Actual Value Initiative and that large corporations and property-owners contribute their fair share to Philadelphia’s schools, parks, public workers, firefighters, and city services. Approximately 1,500 Philadelphia residents have signed the petitions.  The initiatives the group is calling for include:

-Make AVI truly fair.  Property tax “reform” places more burden on homeowners, renters and the most vulnerable rather than big corporate landlords. The group will call for enacting Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez’s Use and Occupancy (U&O) tax reform bill. It restores fairness to our property tax code by balancing the burden between corporate landlords and the rest of us.

-No more free pass.  Councilman Wilson Goode’s abatement reform bill cuts the 10-year property tax “free pass” to 5 years. This is fair to both long-time residents and “the new, the few and well-to do.” including corporate developers.

-Make mega non-profits pay taxes on their profitable commercial property and contribute fair “good neighbor” payments for city services from which they benefit.

-Freeze proposed city wage tax reductions that would keep millions of dollars in the hands of the wealthiest instead of city coffers while giving the average family only a tiny tax break.

Activists will unfurl hundreds of pages of petition signatures in City Council during the hearing as a Fight for Philly member testifies.  The petitions say, “Make Big Business and Big “Non-Profits” Pay their fair share in Philadelphia and stop shifting the tax burden to our Homeowners, Tenants and Working People!”  They will then deliver the petitions to Mayor Nutter’s office.

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Fight for Philly is building a grassroots coalition of residents, community groups, neighborhood associations, faith organizations and labor groups united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability and strong communities.

info@fightforphilly.org * (215) 232-3792 * http://fightforphilly.org

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Jesse Kudler

617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

Fight for Philly and other groups launch One Philadelphia coalition

and tax fairness campaign

Press conference will call for fair property tax reform and no wage tax cuts for the rich

One Philadelphia will also announce a petition drive calling on Mayor Nutter “to make big businesses and mega non-profits pay their fair share in Philadelphia and stop shifting the tax burden to our homeowners, tenants and working people!”

The group is urging action on specific policies to ensure that working families and lower-income people are not hurt by the Actual Value Initiative and that large corporations and property-owners contribute their fair share to Philadelphia’s schools, parks, public workers, firefighters, and city services.  The initiatives the group is calling for include:

-Make AVI truly fair.  Property tax “reform” places more burden on homeowners, renters and the most vulnerable rather than big corporate landlords. The group will call for enacting Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez’s Use and Occupancy (U&O) tax reform bill. It restores fairness to our property tax code by balancing the burden between corporate landlords and the rest of us.

-No more free pass.  Councilman Wilson Goode’s abatement reform bill cuts the 10-year property tax “free pass” to 5 years. This is fair to both long-time residents and “the new, the few and well-to do.” including corporate developers.

-Make mega non-profits pay taxes on their profitable commercial property and contribute fair “good neighbor” payments for city services from which they benefit.

-Freeze proposed city wage tax reductions that would keep millions of dollars in the hands of the wealthiest instead of city coffers while giving the average family only a tiny tax break.

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Fight for Philly is building a grassroots coalition of residents, community groups, neighborhood associations, faith organizations and labor groups united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability and strong communities.

info@fightforphilly.org * (215) 232-3792 * http://fightforphilly.org

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Monday, April 15, 2013

Jesse Kudler

617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

Fight for Philly protests Corbett’s unfair tax proposal on Tax Day

Activists will leaflet and gather signatures for tax fairness petition

Philadelphia, PA – On Monday, April 15, Tax Day, activists from Fight for Philly will leaflet at 30^th Street Post Office to call attention to Gov. Tom Corbett’s latest outrageous budget proposal, to cut taxes on businesses by 30%.  The group will talk to last-minute tax filers about Corbett’s newest gift to large corporations, which gives up even more state revenue that could be used to fund healthcare, education, infrastructure, the General Assistance program, and other vital services for Pennsylvanians.  The group will also gather signatures on a petition calling for tax fairness, demanding that the governor close corporate tax loopholes, create a Marcellus Shale drilling tax, and expand Medicaid.

The event is part of a statewide day of action in protest of the governor’s tax proposal.

Corbett’s proposal will, over the next decade, grow to cost more than $800 million per year but would reduce Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate only from 8.1% to 8.0%.  It would also further squeeze areas that have seen tremendous cuts under the governor’s austerity budgets, including education and healthcare.   Already, three-quarters of corporations pay $0 in state income tax and another 10% pay less than a family of four earning $33,000.  Businesses are enjoying nearly $2 billion a year from tax cuts created in the last decade.

Large corporations operating in Philadelphia like Comcast and US Airways benefit from tax giveaways and the Delaware loophole, letting them avoid state and federal tax burdens.  They should be paying their fair share, not getting even more breaks.

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Fight for Philly is building a grassroots coalition of residents, community groups, neighborhood associations, faith organizations and labor groups united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability and strong communities.

info@fightforphilly.org * (215) 232-3792 * http://fightforphilly.org

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, April 9, 2013

Jesse Kudler

617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

 Fight for Philly and others travel to Harrisburg to protest Gov. Corbett’s tax giveaways to rich corporations as he travels in South America with big business campaign donors

On Thursday, April 11, Fight for Philly, the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, members of ACT UP and The Alliance for Retired Americans, workers, parents, teachers and seniors will board buses to Harrisburg to protest Governor Tom Corbett’s proposal to cut taxes further on profitable big corporations, do nothing to close corporate loopholes, and put big business profits before children, seniors, our hospitals, infrastructure and healthcare.  The House Finance Committee begins reviewing Governor Tom Corbett’s tax proposal with a public hearing on Thursday, as the governor himself travels in Brazil and Chile with his campaign donors.

Protesters will voice their concerns about Corbett’s proposal to give corporations a 30 percent tax cut and other special breaks without creating jobs. The plan locks in the tax cuts regardless of whether the state can afford them in the future. This could force more spending cuts to public schools, higher education, senior programs, healthcare and other vital services in order to subsidize the estimated $800 million cost in future years. Philadelphia schools have been suffering a crisis, with 23 schools recently closed and a $300 million budget deficit still remaining for next year.  The governor’s budgets have cut more than $1 billion from public schools statewide.  Pennsylvania education cannot afford these devastating cuts.

The governor will not be present for the hearing, as he is visiting South America with several corporate executives on a trip paid for by special interests.  His trip is paid for by Team Pennsylvania Foundation, a non-profit co-chaired by the governor and John Moran Jr., who controversially paid for a 2011 Rhode Island vacation for Corbett and his wife at the same time that the state Department of Environmental Protection was looking into a fracking waste recycling site run by Moran’s company.

The protesters will urge Corbett and the General Assembly to close the Delaware Loophole and other irresponsible tax breaks that rich corporations use to avoid paying their fair share.  They will call on the governor to stand up for Pennsylvanians and small businesses by no longer rewarding multi-state corporations that abuse loopholes to hide their income.

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Fight for Philly is building a grassroots coalition of residents, community groups, neighborhood associations, faith organizations and labor groups united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability and strong communities.

info@fightforphilly.org * (215) 232-3792 * http://fightforphilly.org

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Jesse Kudler

617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

Fight for Philly Members to Testify in Support of Banning Harmful Interest Rate Swap Deals for Municipalities

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Members of Fight for Philly will testify at City Council tomorrow in support of Council resolution 130232, “urging the State Senate of Pennsylvania to enact SB 293, a measure that will repeal the legal ability of all municipalities to enter into financially risky qualified interest rate management agreements, commonly known as “swaps.””

According to a January, 2012 report from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, “Swap deals negotiated with banks such as Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs have cost the city and school district $331 million in net interest payments and cancellation fees.  If interest rates continue to remain low, still-active swaps could cost the city another $240 million in future net interest payments.”  With 23 city schools slated to be closed and the Philadelphia School District still looking to fill a $304mil budget hole, parents, homeowners, and others will testify that dangerous swap deals gamble with public funds and too often come out in favor of big banks at the expense of tax-payers.

Members of Fight for Philly will testify, along with Frank Nuessle, Research Director for the Public Banking Institute, and Jerry Jordan, President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

Who: Fight for Philly, Public Banking Institute, PFT head Jerry Jordan

What: Testimony in support of banning municipal swap deals

Where: Philadelphia City Council

When: 10am, Thursday, April 4, 2013

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Fight for Philly is building a grassroots coalition of residents, community groups, neighborhood associations, faith organizations and labor groups united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability and strong communities.

info@fightforphilly.org * (215) 232-3792 * http://fightforphilly.org

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Monday, March 18, 2013

Jesse Kudler

617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

Fight for Philly to protest GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Center City TODAY at Noon

Protesters will call attention to Republican obstructionism, hurtful budget cuts, and unwillingness to raise the minimum wage

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Acting on last-minute information that GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will be appearing at a private event at the Union League today, Fight for Philly is quickly mobilizing activists to protest the GOP’s ongoing obstructionism in refusing to negotiate a fair budget.   McConnell has consistently refused to raise taxes, letting the devastating budget sequester take effect and hurting the economy and Pennsylvanians.  By supporting harsh GOP spending cuts to programs like health care and education, McConnell is hurting the economy and hurting everyday Philadelphians.  When we desperately need jobs, he is supporting more cuts to crucial programs that both help citizens and create jobs.

McConnell has also refused to raise the minimum wage, which would help millions of American families get out of poverty.  McConnell has been doing nothing to help families in Philadelphia, which is why he is only appearing in the city in secret.  It’s time to let everyone know.

Who: Fight for Philly and citizen activists

What: Protest for a fair economy

Where: Union League, 140 S. Broad St. at Sansom

When: TODAY, Noon, March 18, 2013

Visuals: Diverse crowd of activists, speakers, colorful signs, chants

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Fight for Philly is building a grassroots coalition of residents, community groups, neighborhood associations, faith organizations and labor groups united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability and strong communities.

info@fightforphilly.org * (215) 232-3792 * http://fightforphilly.org

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 14, 2013

Jesse Kudler

617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

Philadelphia’s 99% to call attention to

 Mayor’s priorities in budget address

Activists, community members, and workers calling for policies that serve ALL Philadelphians, not just corporations

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Mayor Michael Nutter will unveil his proposed city budget on Thursday, March 14.   Citizens, activists from local community groups, and union members will respond at 12:30pm, highlighting the need for a budget that serves the 99% with fair taxation, adequate funding for schools and education, and fair labor contracts.  Speakers from Fight for Philly, PCAPS, Neighborhood Networks, AFSCME District Council 33, MoveOn Philadelphia Council, and others will discuss the need for a budget that serves the people, through progressive taxation and good funding for schools and other social services.

Thursday’s rally will be the capstone to a week of actions calling attention to the budget and the mayor’s priorities.

Thursday, March 14, 12:30pm:  Fight for Philly, AFSCME District Council 33, MoveOn Philadelphia Council, PCAPS, Pathways PA, and others will counter the mayor’s address with calls for fair taxation and funding for social services.  Philadelphia homeowners will talk about the difficulty in paying increased taxes, and parents will talk about the pain of cuts to education.

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Fight for Philly is building a grassroots coalition of residents, community groups, neighborhood associations, faith organizations and labor groups united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability and strong communities.

info@fightforphilly.org * (215) 232-3792 * http://fightforphilly.org

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Jesse Kudler

617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

Philadelphia’s 99% plan week of actions to call attention to

 Mayor’s priorities in budget address

Activists, community members, and workers to stage events calling for policies that serve ALL Philadelphians, not just corporations

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Mayor Michael Nutter will unveil his proposed city budget on Thursday, March 14.   Citizens, activists from local community groups, and union members will respond at 12:30pm, highlighting the need for a budget that serves the 99% with fair taxation, adequate funding for schools and education, and fair labor contracts.  Speakers from Fight for Philly, PCAPS, Neighborhood Networks, AFSCME District Council 33, MoveOn Philadelphia Council, and others will discuss the need for a budget that serves the people, through progressive taxation and good funding for schools and other social services.

Thursday’s rally will be the capstone to a week of actions calling attention to the budget and the mayor’s priorities.

Wednesday, March 13, 10am: Media Mobilizing Project, SumOfUs.org, Action United, and Fight for Philly will deliver a petition demanding Comcast stop opposing Earned Sick Time for Philadelphia workers.  Mayor Nutter vetoed legislation in 2011 that guaranteed earned sick time for Philadelphia workers, caving in to pressure from Comcast and other corporations.  10am, Outside Northeast Corner of City Hall.

Wednesday, March 13, 12pm: AFSCME District Council 33 will rally at the Northeast Corner of City Hall to call attention to their four years without a contract, as the Mayor seeks legal authority to unilaterally impose a contract.

Thursday, March 14, 12:30pm:  Fight for Philly, AFSCME District Council 33, MoveOn Philadelphia Council, PCAPS, Pathways PA, and others will counter the mayor’s address with calls for fair taxation and funding for social services.  Philadelphia homeowners will talk about the difficulty in paying increased taxes, and parents will talk about the pain of cuts to education.

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Fight for Philly is building a grassroots coalition of residents, community groups, neighborhood associations, faith organizations and labor groups united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability and strong communities.

info@fightforphilly.org * (215) 232-3792 * http://fightforphilly.org

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Contact: Jesse Kudler

617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

As Automatic “Sequester” Cuts Loom on March 1:

Protesters to Call on Sen. Toomey to Prevent Cuts to Education and Healthcare

Call for Closing Corporate Tax Loopholes, Job Creation Instead as part of National Day of Action

Joining protesters in over 100 other cities, a group of concerned constituents will protest against potential cuts to education and healthcare at Sen. Pat Toomey’s Philadelphia office on Wednesday, February 20 as a March 1 deadline approaches for more than one trillion dollars in automatic budget cuts.  The 2012 “fiscal cliff” deal delayed automatic, across-the-board cuts on vital services until March 1, which is only 10 days away.
Federal funding is the single largest source of general revenue in Pennsylvania.  34.3% of state general revenue comes from federal sources.   Federal funds currently pay for 55.1% of Pennsylvania’s Medicaid spending (which would go up next year if Gov. Corbett accepted the Medicaid expansion).  With state budgets already overextended, the loss of federal funding will result in a shortfall in the state’s budget, making a slow economic recovery even worse.  If the sequester happens, Pennsylvania will see cuts in jobs and vital services.  Education jobs will be lost, Head Start will serve thousands fewer children, and veterans’ services will be cut.  But proposals to replace the sequester with significant cuts to other core programs—like Medicaid and Medicare—will also cost jobs and threaten vital services.

Protesters will hold colorful signs opposing cuts to vital programs.  Speakers will testify to the importance of crucial government programs, including Head Start and student aid.  Seniors will talk about the support they receive from Social Security, and others will talk about Medicaid’s help in supporting their health.  The protesters are calling on Sen. Toomey to prevent cuts and instead end tax breaks for Big Oil, Wall Street, and companies that ship jobs overseas and invest in job creation to get the economy moving again.

Speeches will conclude with a candlelight vigil before protesters march to the Comcast Building.  Comcast is a rich corporation that avoids contributing its fair share in state and federal taxes, and its executives are part of groups like Business Roundtable that lobby for cuts to vital services. Additionally, its Executive VP, David L. Cohen, has recently endorsed Gov. Corbett and his painful agenda of cuts to health and education.

WHAT: Protest against cuts to vital services

WHEN: Wed., February 20, 2013, 4:30pm

WHERE: Sen. Toomey’s office, 17^th and JFK; Comcast Center, 1701 JFK

WHO: Activists, students, parents, seniors, and other concerned citizens from Fight for Philly, Media Mobilizing Project, Philadelphia Unemployment Project, Alliance for Retired Americans, Pennsylvania Health Access Network, Democratic Socialists, Coalition of Labor Union Women, AFSCME District Council 33, Take Back Vacant Land Coalition, Moveon.org Philadelphia Council.

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Fight for Philly is building a grassroots coalition of residents, community groups, neighborhood associations, faith organizations and labor groups united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability and strong communities.

info@fightforphilly.org * (215) 232-3792 * http://fightforphilly.org

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Monday, December 17, 2012

Contact: Jesse Kudler 617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

Umang Patel 267-254-7968, umang@fightforphilly.org

***ADVISORY FOR Monday, Dec. 17, 2012***

Over 250 Protesters from Philadelphia to Descend on Capitol Hill to Call for Rich to Pay Fair Share, Protest Cuts to Medicare, Vital Services

Voters to deliver lumps of coal to Speaker Boehner, call for solution that prevents cuts, raises tax rates on wealthiest earners

As Republicans continue to oppose raising tax rates on the richest 2% as part of the solution to the fiscal showdown, over 1,000 protesters from across the country will spend Tuesday, December 18^th on Capitol Hill, staging dramatic actions to call on Congress to reject cuts to programs like Medicare and Medicaid and instead make the rich pay their fair share of taxes.   Over 250 protesters will travel from the Philadelphia region, including those receiving Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security

Protesters will leave in buses from the Fight for Philly offices at 7:30am.  Brief interviews and various visuals will be available.

WHO: Voters, including seniors, students, and activists.

WHAT: Protest and march to the U.S. House of Representatives to deliver coal stockings to Speaker Boehner, leaving from Philadelphia at 7:30am.

WHEN: 7:30am, December 18^th, 2012.

WHERE: Fight for Philly, 846 N. Broad St.

VISUALS: Protesters from Philadelphia, buses, signs.

Members of Congress are being urged to grow—not slow—the economy by investing in good jobs, education and infrastructure and making the rich pay their fair share of taxes. Voters are concerned about possible cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, child care, special education and other services, and are making the case that the best way to reduce the deficit is to make the rich pay their fair share, put people back to work and get our economy going again.

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Fight for Philly is building a grassroots coalition of residents, community groups, neighborhood associations, faith organizations and labor groups united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability and strong communities.

info@fightforphilly.org * (215) 232-3792 * http://fightforphilly.org