Dozens of state workers gathered last Thursday outside Legislative Hall in Dover, Del., to demand an end to proposed budget cuts that threaten to slash workers’ wages. The demonstration was organized by Council 81 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Delaware Governor Jack Markell outlined a budget proposal that would cut 8 percent of all state employees’ salaries, suspend promotions and eliminate three fixed paid holidays per year. The proposal would also shut down public health care facilities.
Employees demanded that the state use reserves, the “Rainy Day Fund” totaling about $186 million, as an alternative to cutting salaries and services. Sharon Milsom, a licensed practical nurse at a state health center in Delaware City, explained, “I’m here to say that for my patients and their families, it’s … not just raining, it’s pouring.”
Budget cuts have plagued workers throughout the capitalist economic crisis, as the federal government has pledged an estimated $11.6 trillion in bailouts to large banks and investment firms.
