Media Advisory for Tuesday, May 15 at 4:00pm

Contact: Umang Patel, umang@fightforphilly.org; 267-254-7968 or Jess Burgan, jess@fightforphilly.org; 202-487-9409

Community Members to Roll Out the (Human) Red Carpet for Governor Corbett

Philadelphia’s 99% to protest Governor’s address to the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, demand 1% pay their fair share

Philadelphia – Hundreds of Philadelphians will greet Governor Tom Corbett as he makes a rare visit to the city for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s Conversation with the Governor on Tuesday, May 15.

Activists will demonstrate how Tom Corbett, the Chamber of Commerce and the 1% are walking all over Philadelphia’s working and middle class.  Local community members will roll out the red carpet to welcome the Governor and others who are supporting a state budget that slashes funding for education, public transportation and vital healthcare services.

While the Governor “shares his vision for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Greater Philadelphia region” with the Chamber, attendees will commence the “People’s Conversation.”  Students, parents, community leaders and activists from a diverse range of groups will talk about

Many of the Chamber of Commerce’s members take advantage of corporate tax cuts and loopholes that cost the state more than $1 billion in revenue yearly.  For example, Comcast, a sponsor of the event, utilizes the Delaware Loophole which alone costs Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $500 million.  Corporations in Philadelphia like Comcast are making millions off the 99% and profiting at our communities loss, and Governor Corbett continuously chooses to protect tax loopholes and benefits that favor the 1%.

As the June 30 state budget deadline looms, and Philadelphians have been told to accept a reality which includes the closing of forty public schools, thousands of good jobs slashed and the depletion of cash assistance, more and more people are demanding that the Governor stop putting big corporations and the very rich ahead of our families and communities.  The movement against Gov. Corbett’s cuts is growing statewide, with hundreds of Pennsylvanians citing his proposed cuts to public and arts education in their outrage at his “lifetime achievement award” from the Pittsburgh Opera, and voters throughout the state traveling to Harrisburg to voice their opposition to his budget which cuts vital services to Pennsylvania families while protecting corporate tax dodgers.

What: Human Red Carpet to Welcome Governor Corbett to Philadelphia

Who: Hundreds of Philadelphians and a broad, growing number of community, faith and labor groups, including: ACTION United; Coalition Advocating for Public Schools; Decarcerate PA; Fight for Philly; Juntos; MoveOn; Neighborhood Networks; Occupy Philly; One Voice; PA Cares for All; Philadelphians Allied for a Responsible Economy; Philadelphia Unemployment Project; SEIU 32BJ; SEIU 668; SEIU Healthcare PA; SEIU Pennsylvania Joint Board; Teacher Action Group; Youth Art and Self-empowerment Project; Youth United for Change

When: 4:00pm on Tuesday, May 15

Where: Prince Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street

For Immediate Release: April 30, 2012

Contact: Anne Gemmell, 267-850-0891 or anne@fightforphilly.org

Philadelphia – Today, a growing coalition of local faith, labor and progressive organizations weighed in on the city’s budget debates with a City Hall press conference to launch a campaign to preserve the Cohen Wage Tax Credit and call upon Mayor Nutter to demand the corporate community pair its fair share.

“We need to reverse the trend of tax reform that takes more and more of the tax burden away from corporations and places more and more of the tax burden on citizens.  Mayor Nutter’s current plans for the Gross Receipts Tax and the Cohen Ordinance are examples of this unacceptable trend,” said Aaron Troisi of Philadelphians Allied for a Responsible Economy.  “In a city where people are struggling to get by, provide for their families, and ensure strong communities; in a city that closes schools and libraries, cancels programs for youth, and cuts services in our neighborhoods; it is outrageous and unacceptable that corporations are allowed to NOT pay their fair share of taxes.”

The Fair Share Coalition asked the Mayor to protect the working poor by maintaining the Cohen ordinance. Instead of eliminating this progressive wage tax, the city’s revenue challenge should be partly addressed by making corporations pay their fair share through an increase in the Gross Receipts Tax (GRT). The coalition’s proposal includes an exemption for small business.

“Our question today: Do the commercial and business communities of this city pay their fair share of taxes?  We suspect they do not, and this is why 32BJ stands with the Fair Share Coalition,” said Victor Rosado, Political Director of SEIU 32BJ.  “We want to be a part of the conversation to create a fair tax structure in this city that can maintain fairness for fairness’ sake – but to raise enough revenue to provide the basic and essential services that civilization requires.”

The “Cohen Ordinance,” passed by the late Councilman Cohen in 2004, provided tax relief to low-income workers: A three person family in Philadelphia earning $25,500 would have been eligible for gradually increasing rebates of .5%, until the family was paying a wage tax of only 1.5%. However, Mayor Nutter has been successfully watering down this ordinance since 2008, and is now seeking to eliminate it entirely.

Now, more than ever, asking more of working families while planning tax breaks for big corporations should not be an option for the city.  As next year’s city budget is developed, the Fair Share Coalition will continue to deliver the message that the budget cannot be balanced on the backs of the working poor and most vulnerable – but that everyone must pay their fair share, especially big corporations.

Press Release for Tuesday, April 24

For more information: Umang Patel: 267-254-7968, Umang@fightforphilly.org or Jess Burgan at 202-487-9409, jess@fightforphilly.org

Philadelphia – On the day the Wells Fargo shareholder meeting convened in San Francisco, over a hundred workers, students, families and members of community organizations joined Fight for Philly for a community picnic and protest against the big bank greed.

After picnicking in the park at 34^th and Chestnut in University City, the activists marched to the Wells Fargo branch at 3431 Chestnut.  Families and children aged 2- 14 conducted a brief teach-in inside the bank’s lobby.

With the school district’s announcement of forty school closures in papers this morning, community members spoke out about Wells Fargo’s involvement with the Wall Street-engineered swap deals marketed to the School District and City that have cost Philadelphia $331 million to date.

“Wells Fargo and other businesses have taken funds from the School District and are ruining our children’s education” explained Gloria Thomas, an advocate of the public school system and representative of Parent Power.. “The students that are graduating cannot read at a high level nor have simple math skills.”

Wells Fargo has been profiting off of the backs of the middle and working class families, with a shameful record of foreclosures, predatory lending to poor communities, and avoiding taxes that should have gone to keeping schools open and caring for our vulnerable.

“I am saddened that Wells Fargo has taken the opportunity away from my students to get a good education” said Gina Apuzzo, a dance instructor from Northeast Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, three Fight for Philly members are currently in San Francisco for the bank’s shareholder meeting.  Despite being shareholders, they have thus far been denied entrance to the meeting.

Media Advisory for Tuesday, April 17 at 3:30 pm

Contact: Umang Patel, 267-254-7968 or Umang@fightforphilly.org

On Tax Day, Philadelphians to Protest Tax Dodgers

Call on the 1% to pay their fair share

Philadelphia – This Tax Day, workers, students, parents and members of various community groups will protest tax dodgers and the tax loopholes that help the 1% at the expense of the rest with a dodge ball game at the Comcast plaza.

Comcast is among the many Pennsylvania companies that take advantage of the Delaware loophole to avoid paying taxes on their income, costing the state $550 million a year in lost revenue.  Further, more than 70 percent of corporations in Pennsylvania do not pay any income tax.

Because Governor Corbett continues to protect tax loopholes and breaks that benefit big corporations and CEOs at the expense of middle and working class families, Pennsylvanians are facing deep cuts to education, healthcare and other programs that help the vulnerable.

Protesters will also march to Senator Toomey’s office to call on the Senator to support the Buffet Rule, which stops millionaires from paying lower taxes than working people.

Similar protests will take place throughout Pennsylvania, as members of the 99% continue to take a stand against rich corporations and politicians who have created an economic emergency for the 99%.

Who: Workers, students, parents and members of various community groups, including: Delaware Valley New Priorities Network; Fight for Philly; Neighborhood Networks; Norris Square Civic Association; Occupy Philly; Occupy Temple; Occupy the Dream; Philadelphia Unemployment Project

What: Dodge ball game of working people vs. tax dodgers

Where: Begins at LOVE Park, ends at Comcast Plaza

When: 3:00 p.m. at LOVE Park, followed by a march to Comcast Plaza at 3:15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Thursday, March 29, 2012
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jess Burgan: 215-232-3792; jess@fightforphilly.org

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Elected officials, community and faith leaders, union members, workers, students and activists from across the city rallied in LOVE Park to celebrate a union organizing drive that will transform 3,000 security jobs into family-sustaining jobs in Philadelphia.

“With our nation’s economy still in trouble – and about 25 percent of Philadelphians living in poverty – it’s more important than ever that hardworking families have good-paying, stable jobs,” stated Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell. “Now these workers will have the chance to earn a decent wage and have the health care that they need to support and care for their families.”

These 3,000 security officers seeking better wages and benefits will bring millions of dollars to Philadelphia and our communities.  US workers have not seen any real increase in pay in years, and the average Philadelphia worker has lost fifty cents per hour since 2007.

“Securing wage increases and healthcare is not only a significant victory for the city’s security officers, but it also demonstrates that when workers come together and unionize they can bring about a path to the middle class,” said Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Richard Bloomingdale. “We encourage all of the security companies in the city to work with SEIU32BJ to create family sustaining jobs for security officers in Philadelphia.”

A majority of security officers across the city at major universities, institutions and office buildings in Center City are organizing with SEIU 32BJ.

“Too many workers in Philadelphia are working hard every day but are not able to make ends meet. That’s why I’m fighting for good jobs for our communities,” said Kobra Oden, a security officer at Temple University Hospital and a member of the SEIU 32BJ Philadelphia Security Organizing Committee.  “I work hard and I take pride in my job.  At the end of the day, I just want to be able to provide for my family and contribute to my community.”

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Street Hockey Game Featuring the “Wall Street Bullies” to Highlight the Bank’s Tax-Dodging and Shady Deals

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Community members will compete in a street hockey game on Monday, March 19 in front of the Wells Fargo Building.

The face-off between the “Fight for Phillies” and the “Wall Street Bullies” will highlight the way big banks like Wells Fargo have been able to create an economy that works for the 1% by pushing Wall Street engineered deals and avoiding billions of dollars in taxes.

Members of Philadelphia’s 99% will field the Fight for Phillies, and will share how they have been affected by the economy and a government that provides tax benefits to wealthy corporations that do not pay their fair share.  The team will include unemployed workers, parents and students who are being affected by cuts in services and the city and state budgets.

Wells Fargo has been under increasing fire in Philadelphia for its involvement in the interest rate swaps that have cost the city and school district hundreds of millions of dollars – and across the country for its role in the foreclosure crisis.

Monday’s event will highlight yet another reason public opinion is turning on big banks: massive profits and tax breaks in the midst of a national economic crisis.  The bank has received $17.96 billion in tax breaks over the last three years, and even received $681 million in federal tax refunds.

WHAT: Street Hockey Game

VISUALS: Wall Street Bullies vs. the Fight for Phillies

WHEN: March 19, 2012 at 4:30PM

WHERE: Wells Fargo Building, 123 South Broad Street

WHO: Community members and leaders

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MEDIA ADVISORY FOR: Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 3:00 pm
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jess Burgan: 215-232-3792, jess@fightforphilly.org

Participate in National Day of Action for Education

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Students, teachers and community members from across the city will gather in front of Governor Corbett’s Philadelphia office to rally against his proposed cuts to public education and universities.  The protesters will call for an end of tax breaks for rich corporations and the 1% to close a budget shortfall, rather than continued reductions to education funding.

For the second year in a row, Governor Corbett’s budget is cutting higher education and public school funding.  Cuts to higher education in Corbett’s plan would total more than $260 million, including cuts to the State System, the state-related universities, community colleges and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. The governor’s proposal also adds up to $100 million in cuts to public K-12 schools. If the governor’s plan is approved, public schools will have lost nearly $1 billion since he took office.

Meanwhile, Governor Corbett is letting corporations off the hook for nearly $1 billion in taxes that would help prevent these cuts and help protect services.

The national day of action has been called to protest the fact that more than 40 states have cut support to higher education in order to deal with tight budgets. Students, teachers and community members will march to the rally from Drexel, Temple and the University of Pennsylvania.

WHAT: Protest of the Governor’s proposed cuts to education funding

WHO: Community members, unemployed workers, teachers, students

WHEN: Thursday, March 1 at 3:00 pm

WHERE: Governor Corbett’s Office, 200 South Broad Street

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Call on Bank to “Be a Sweetheart” and return millions of dollars in cancellation fees to School District

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Philadelphians from across the city will deliver Valentine’s Day-themed messages calling on the bank to pay back the millions they made on bad deals with the School District through interest rate swap agreements.  After canvassing at several neighborhood Wells Fargo branches, activists will gather at the Wells Fargo Building to deliver their hand-made cards.

The large financial institutions that helped cause the Great Recession continue to cause suffering in our neighborhoods through their reckless behavior. While taxpayers provided billions of dollars in bailouts to banks in the wake of the financial crisis, municipalities and school districts have been forced to cut services and lay off staff without receiving any financial consideration from the banks for the high cost of swap deals.

According to a recent report by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, the City and School District have lost over $332 million in net interest payments and cancellation fees relating to swaps negotiated with bailed out financial institutions including Wells Fargo.  The City could potentially lose over $240 million in additional net interest payments from still-active swaps between the City agencies and the same bailed-out financial institutions if interest rates continue to remain low.

WHAT: Philadelphians Deliver a Not-So-Sweet Valentine to Wells Fargo

WHO: Community members, including unemployed workers, teachers and students directly impacted by cuts to the School District

WHEN: Tuesday, February 14 at 2:30 pm

WHERE: Wells Fargo Building, 123 South Broad Street

VISUAL: Hand-made Valentine’s Day cards bearing messages such as “It’s not Us, It’s You,” “Have a Heart: Pay Back Our Schools,” and “We Deserve a Healthy Relationship”

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