(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) spoke at the International
Association of Firefighters’ Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference in
Washington, D.C. She talked about the support her family received from the
government when times got tough, and about the middle class values she cares
deeply about that are currently being challenged. Murray also connected the
assault on workers’ rights by Republican governors in Wisconsin and across the
country to what Republicans in Congress are attempting with their extreme
budget proposal that would slash investments in workers and the middle class.
Key
excerpts from the speech:
“My
family got by with a little bit of luck. We pulled through with a lot of hard
work. But most of all, we made it because we had a government at our back that
was there when we needed it….You know, it wasn’t always easy, especially for my
mom. She was going to school, working a part time job, raising seven kids, and
taking care of my dad. But we got the help we needed from our country, and that
made all the difference for our middle-class family.”
“But
you know something, that American value system that allowed my family to
succeed is being challenged. The value system that puts middle class
families first; That provides support for the most vulnerable among us; That
values the men and women who build our country and keep us safe…Those are the
values I stand for. But they are under attack right now on a number of fronts.”
‘From
the way some Republican Governors have been acting in states like Wisconsin,
Ohio, and Florida—they seem to think our problems have been caused by middle
class public workers! Look, we all know the Wall Street crisis has caused
massive revenue losses in states across the country—and Governors have to make
some tough decisions about how they’re going to balance their budgets. But I am
deeply disappointed that Republicans like Governor Walker in Wisconsin put
partisan politics and ideology over sound public policy and working families.”
“….this
is not really even about the budget! If this was just about saving money,
Governor Walker would have accepted the concessions offered by his state’s
workers. But he didn’t do that. Because he doesn’t just want to just slash
workers’ salaries, he wanted to gut the organized institutions that stand up
for workers in his state and across the country.”
“And
this isn’t just happening in the states—workers and middle class families are
also being threatened here in our nation’s capitol. And nowhere do we see that
more clearly than in the Republicans’ extreme budget proposals.”
“…I
am extremely disappointed that the very Republicans who came into office
talking about the economy have proposed a budget that would destroy hundreds of
thousands of jobs, devastate workers and small businesses across the country,
and threaten our fragile economic recovery.
“I
am disappointed that at a time when middle class families still need some
support to get back on their feet after the Wall Street Crisis, Republicans
have proposed a highly politicized, slash-and-burn budget that would pull the
rug out from under these families and their children.”
“And
I am disappointed that while Democrats are working hard to make responsible and
practical budget cuts that will allow us to continue out-innovating,
out-educating, and out-building our competitors—Republicans are proposing a
budget that would hack away at investments across the board and threaten our
nation’s ability to compete now and in the future.”
“…I
spoke about what’s going on in states across the country. And I talked about
what is happening with the budget here in Washington, D.C. These may seem
like separate issues, but they are deeply intertwined. They both
represent an attack on middle class families and workers. They both
demonstrate a serious overreach by Republicans who are fiercely out of step
with the majority of working Americans. They both highlight the
differences in priorities between those who fight for Main Street, and those
who stand up for Wall Street. And they both should be seen as a call to
action for people across the country who care about those American values I
mentioned earlier; who understand that workers are the heart and soul of our
country; and who know that organized labor is one of the most powerful forces
we have standing up for middle class values and priorities.”
“As
firefighters, you all know a thing or two about sticking together, about
helping others, and about standing up for your community. I see that with my
brother, and with so many of the firefighters I work with back in Washington
state.”
The
full text of Senator Murray’s speech follows:
“Hello—and
thank you so much Harold for that wonderful introduction and for inviting me to
speak here today. {IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger}
“I
also want to thank Tom Miller {IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer} and
Kevin O’Connor {IAFF Government Affairs}.And I want to say a special
hello to some great guys from my home state of Washington who are here
today: Kelly Fox, Ricky Walsh, and Greg Markley.
“These
guys had my back in this past election. They were out there on the
doors and the phones and getting people out to vote. And they even came out and
flipped pancakes with me one day at the Local # 31 hall
in Tacoma!
“You
know as a mom – and grandma – I thought I cornered the market on making great
pancakes, but as it turns out, firefighters can give me a run for my money. I
don’t know if you have any breakfasts planned during this conference, but have
these guys make you some pancakes!
“I
also want to thank everyone in this room for coming here to Washington, D.C. to
fight for firefighters across the country. And for everything you all do every
day to keep families in your communities safe.
“I
want to start off with a quick story, and then I am going to talk a little bit
about what is going on in Wisconsin and other states around the country, what
is happening right here in Washington, D.C., how they are connected, and what
that means for middle class families and workers across the country.
“This
story is about a family from a small town called Bothell, in Washington state.
About a mother and father who were working hard—playing by the rules. Doing
their best to raise their kids—and feeling confident they were doing what they
needed to do to get by and give their children a shot at the American
Dream. But suddenly, and completely unexpectedly, that family’s life
changed forever.
“The
father, the breadwinner, got sick. He could no longer work. For several
months, this family relied on food stamps. They weren’t much, but it kept food
on the table while they figured things out.
“The
mother, who had stayed home for many years to raise the family, had to go to
work—but she didn’t have the skills she needed to earn enough money to support
her husband and seven children.
“Fortunately,
at that time there was a government program that helped her attend Lake
Washington Vocational School where she got a two-year degree in accounting.
This training allowed her to get a better job, it allowed the family to get
back on their feet.
“And
all of this support allowed that mother and father to give their children the
support they needed to grow up to be: a school teacher, a lawyer, a homemaker,
a computer programmer, a sports writer, A FIREFIGHTER, and the United States
Senator standing before you today.
“This
story is about my family. But stories like it could be told about millions of
families. Families in Seattle, Spokane, or across the country.
“My
family got by with a little bit of luck. We pulled through with a lot of hard
work. But most of all, we made it because we had a government at our back that
was there when we needed it.
“It
was there with food stamps, to make sure we never went hungry. It was there
with worker training programs, so my mom could get the skills she needed to
succeed. And it was there with student loans, so my brothers and sisters and I
could go to college, which we never would have been able to afford without
support.
“You
know, it wasn’t always easy, especially for my mom. She was going to school,
working a part time job, raising seven kids, and taking care of my dad. But we
got the help we needed from our country, and that made all the difference for
our middle-class family.
“But
you know something, that American value system that allowed my family to
succeed is being challenged.
“The
value system that puts middle class families first; That provides support for
the most vulnerable among us; That values the men and women who build our
country and keep us safe; And that says “no matter where you come from, or how
rich or poor your parents are—you deserve an equal opportunity to succeed.”
“Those
are the values I stand for. But they are under attack right now on a number of
fronts.
“Thirty
years ago, almost one in four American workers belonged to a union. Today, that
number has plummeted to just one in ten.
“Over
those three decades the average income in America went up by around 11,000 in
today’s dollars.
“Which
sounds good, until we see that every penny of that growth went to the top
10%—with the majority of that just to the top 1%.
“While
the wages of every other American worker actually declined over the last thirty
years!
“And
during the “economic expansion” from 2002 to 2007, fully 65% of the growth in
America went to the top 1% alone! Sixty-five percent!
“Meanwhile,
Wall Street bankers spent that time inflating a housing bubble in America and
creating new financial products to sell. And when that bubble burst, it wasn’t
Wall Street that suffered—it was Main Street and America’s workers that bore
the brunt of the recession that followed.
“We
all saw friends and neighbors lose their job, families lose their homes, mom
and pop stores that had been open for fifty years shutting their doors, pension
funds and retirement accounts getting wiped out. And then we saw Wall Street go
right back to the bonus-as-usual mentality that got us into this mess.
“So
the way it seems to me, now—more than ever—is the time when we need to be
standing up for the middle class families who have been hurt the most. When we
need to continue standing up for workers, and making sure they have the support
and resources they need to succeed. And when we need to continue holding Wall
Street accountable, and enforcing the rules we put in place to make sure an
economic crisis like this never happens again.
“But,
you know, apparently some people have a very different view of what’s gone
wrong in our economy.
“From
the way some Republican Governors have been acting in states like Wisconsin,
Ohio, and Florida—they seem to think our problems have been caused by middle
class public workers!
“Look,
we all know the Wall Street crisis has caused massive revenue losses in states
across the country—and Governors have to make some tough decisions about how
they’re going to balance their budgets.
“But
I am deeply disappointed that Republicans like Governor Walker in Wisconsin put
partisan politics and ideology over sound public policy and working families.
“First
of all, I don’t think that the men and women who go to work every day teaching
our children, building our roads, keeping criminals off the street, and
fighting fires—should bear the full responsibility for balancing states’ budgets.
“Especially
when the richest people and corporations are seeing tax cuts in some of these
same Republican proposals!!
“But
second of all—this is not really even about the budget! If this was just about
saving money, Governor Walker would have accepted the concessions offered by
his state’s workers. But he didn’t do that. Because he doesn’t just want to
just slash workers’ salaries, he wanted to gut the organized institutions that
stand up for workers in his state and across the country.
“He
wanted to end the right for workers to organize and collectively bargain—an
American right that has been long recognized as a key element of economic
freedom. And it is clear to me that he wants to neutralize a force he sees as a
political enemy. And this is absolutely wrong.
“I
was proud and inspired to see so many people come together in Wisconsin and
across the nation to stand up for working families. And although
Wisconsin Republicans managed to push this extreme legislation through with a
parliamentary gimmick, I am confident voters are going to make them pay for
their overreach at the polls.
“And
this isn’t just happening in the states—workers and middle class families are
also being threatened here in our nation’s capitol. And nowhere do we see that more
clearly than in the Republicans’ extreme budget proposals.
“You
know, I am extremely disappointed that the very Republicans who came into
office talking about the economy have proposed a budget that would destroy
hundreds of thousands of jobs, devastate workers and small businesses across
the country, and threaten our fragile economic recovery.
“I
am disappointed that at a time when middle class families still need some
support to get back on their feet after the Wall Street Crisis, Republicans
have proposed a highly politicized, slash-and-burn budget that would pull the
rug out from under these families and their children.
“And
I am disappointed that while Democrats are working hard to make responsible and
practical budget cuts that will allow us to continue out-innovating,
out-educating, and out-building our competitors—Republicans are proposing a
budget that would hack away at investments across the board and threaten our
nation’s ability to compete now and in the future.
“Their
budget proposal slashes education funding, transportation investments,
workforce training—and so many other programs critical to middle class families
across the country.
“It
would slash some of the bipartisan programs we’ve created to keep our families
safe, including massive, 66% cuts to both the transit security grant program
that helps communities keep their trains and subways safe, as well as the port
security grant program that helps protect critical economic and national
security assets across the country.
“It
would even cut the housing vouchers that keep 10,000 homeless veterans off the
streets—which, as the new chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I
am going to do everything I can to fight.
“And
it does all that while protecting subsidies for massive oil companies and tax
cuts for millionaires and billionaires!
“As
you have probably heard, the original House bill even slashed FIRE Grants and
completely eliminated the SAFER Grants fire departments across the country
depend on, before Democrats managed to restore that funding in a successful
amendment.
“Look,
we absolutely need to cut spending and bring down the deficit. Democrats and
Republicans agree about that.
“But
we need to do that responsibly. And we can’t allow it to happen on the backs of
middle class families and workers across the country.
“You
know, I spoke about what’s going on in states across the country. And I talked
about what is happening with the budget here in Washington, D.C. These
may seem like separate issues, but they are deeply intertwined. They both
represent an attack on middle class families and workers.
“They
both demonstrate a serious overreach by Republicans who are fiercely out of
step with the majority of working Americans.
“They
both highlight the differences in priorities between those who fight for Main
Street, and those who stand up for Wall Street.
“And
they both should be seen as a call to action for people across the country who
care about those American values I mentioned earlier; who understand that
workers are the heart and soul of our country; and who know that organized
labor is one of the most powerful forces we have standing up for middle class
values and priorities.
“You
know, Martin Luther King, Jr. famously wrote that “Injustice anywhere is a
threat to justice everywhere.” These are the words we all need to keep in mind
today.
“Injustice
in Wisconsin is a threat to justice in my home state of Washington. A threat to
justice in New York, California, Minnesota. And threats to the rights of
workers in any state, or in any budget—are threats to middle class families in
every state, and every budget.
“As
firefighters, you all know a thing or two about sticking together, about
helping others, and about standing up for your community. I see that with my
brother, and with so many of the firefighters I work with back in Washington
state.
“So
as you go out and talk to your lawmakers this week, make sure they realize
what’s at stake here in D.C. and across the country. And make sure they
know firefighters are proud to stand with all workers and middle class
Americans to fight for what we know is right. For investments in our
workers, in education, in our infrastructure, in our veterans, in public
safety, and for the middle class values that make this country great.
“Because
every family in America deserves to have the opportunities my family had all
those years ago. And every worker deserves the right to bargain
collectively for fair wages and safe working conditions.
“So
thank you again for inviting me to speak here today. I am proud to stand by
your side here in Washington, D.C. to fight for your priorities, and to make
sure you get the resources you need to stay safe on the job and can continue
protecting our families and communities.
“Enjoy
the rest of the conference.”
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