Place: Mpls Welfare Office at Century Plaza - 12th and 3rd Ave
Time: Friday June 8, 11am
PAWLENTY'S LINE ITEM VETO BRINGS SLAVE LABOR TO MINNESOTA!
PAWLENTY CUTS OPTIONS FOR POOR MOTHERS TO GET REAL WORK FOR REAL PAY!
Minnesota Politicians Fail to Outlaw Workfare and Fail Minnesota's Poor!
Governor Pawlenty's initial proposal for welfare in Minnesota, had it passed, would have mandated that everyone on welfare be forced immediately into "Workfare" or working for free in order to receive the welfare grant. When he did not get his way, he specifically targeted for veto the proposals that would have assisted poor parents in getting and keeping paid work and that would have held off slave labor. In the final HHS bill, Pawlenty line-item vetoed "supported work" and work-study for welfare mothers, and vetoed the money for car loans and repairs to help working parents get and keep transportation to get to work. After weeks of lambasting Democrats for weakening work requirements, it was the hypocrite Pawlenty who eliminated the only real options to help poor parents get and keep real work. Furthermore, he deliberately set Minnesota on a fast track to force impoverished mothers and fathers into unpaid labor.
The Welfare Rights Committee's proposal for welfare in Minnesota, had it passed, would have banned workfare/slave labor in Minnesota completely. The WRC had two bills prohibiting workfare in the state, both in welfare law and in labor law. The bill prohibiting workfare in labor law passed committees in both the House and Senate. After one and one-half hours of floor debate in the full Senate, it passed unanimously, with even two Republicans crossing over to vote for it. Some Senators said workfare would bring slavery to Minnesota. The provision banning workfare in welfare law passed committees in the House and Senate, was incorporated into the Health and Human Services omnibus budget bills in both houses, passed the full House and Senate and was sent to the Governor's desk in the HHS bill, which he promptly vetoed.
After Pawlenty's veto of the entire HHS bill, back room deals between legislators resulted in changing the "prohibit workfare" language. The new language, instead of banning workfare, allowed workfare to be used only if other options such as actual work for actual pay, or supported work for real pay, were not available. When the final HHS bill went to Pawlenty's desk, he specifically targeted the "other options" of supported work and work study. In doing this, he set Minnesota on a fast track to instituting slave labor as the quickest and easiest way to do meet welfare requirements.
The Welfare Rights Committee continues to say: If there is a job to be done, make it into a REAL job with REAL wages. Workfare takes jobs away from other workers - who then have to join us at the welfare line! These companies that are pimping off poor people have enough money to pay a living wage, and should not be getting a pass for our free work. Workfare is slave labor and must be stopped dead in its tracks. The WRC will continue to fight to stop workfare by any means necessary! We will expose workfare for the slave labor it is. We will expose and protest any agencies, businesses or worksites who are using the free labor of poor mothers and fathers!
Thanks to all our supports;
Welfare Rights Committee
Welfare Rights Committee
310 E. 38th Street Room 207, Minneapolis, MN 55409 (612)822-8020 welfarerightsmn. org