We are calling on General Electric to Pay Its Fair Share
Hundreds of Boston residents, including SEIU Local 615 members, joined MassUniting to call on General Electric to pay its taxes. Why? The news that General Electric raked in a $3.2 billion federal tax refund for 2010, despite posting $11.6 billion in profits last year. Had GE paid its fair share in taxes, painful cuts to Massachusetts law enforcement, human services and public health programs could have been completely prevented.
“After all these years of hard work, I was still making $8 an hour with no benefits.
We went on strike because we will no longer be treated
like the trash we clean.”
- Antonia Chun, a contracted janitor at
the GE Plant for 12 years recently
fired for her union activities
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615 Member Leaders – Stronger and more committed to a fair economy!
Ten Local 615 Member Leaders attended a conference in Los Angeles in March, together with 1,500 SEIU member leaders from across the country. They learned and formulated plans for the fight for a fair economy, a national program to win more and better jobs, more investment in our communities, immigration reform and a better political climate for all workers.
Manuel Solís, union steward working for Harvard Maintenance at Bentley College, said he came out of the conference “with a much better idea of how laws influence the economy”, and “lots of positive energy to continue working with the union and the community. ” And these were not empty words—Manuel came to both days of the strike by GE cleaners in Lynn (click here to see the article GE Workers Strike!)
Following the conference, forums were held in Rhode Island and New Hampshire where union members learned about the fight for a fair economy in their respective states.