Nurses Leading Global Actions for Financial Transaction Tax
National Nurses United, joined by the AFL-CIO and community activists, including participants from the Occupy Wall Street movement, protested outside the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Nov. 3 to press President Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for a meaningful Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) to help heal the U.S. and join the growing global movement for an FTT. Other protests include Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Cannes, France - the site of the G-20 summit.
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Call the White House today at 202-456-1111
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Share Your Story
RNs who are members of NNU write to us every week with moving stories about how the financial crisis has put a patient, loved one, or even themselves in a deeply vulnerable position - at risk of losing jobs, homes, and family members to untreated illnesses. We often share these stories (with permission only) with lawmakers to highlight the importance of taking action. If you have a story to share, please follow this link.
Main Street Contract for America Blog
Robin Hood rides to France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has followed through on his promise to put before parliament a financial transaction tax – calling it a “Robin Hood Tax” – of 0.1% on stock trades to commence in August, according to reports. Absent from the tax: bond sales. Sarkozy also proposed raising the basic consumption tax (VAT) by 1.6 percent, to 21.2 percent, and upping by 2 percentage points the taxes paid on financial profits. His proposed targets of new revenue: an increase in construction of low-income housing and creation of an “industry bank” to make cheaper loans to small and medium companies. —Protest in the USA Blog, 01/30/12 More »
Main Street, Nationwide Blog
What’s behind the attacks on working people?
The modest pensions and health benefits we have earned, the pay that supports our families, the improved conditions for our patients did not deplete public treasuries or jeopardize the survival of our employers. The banks and other financial giants did — and were rewarded with bailouts and bonuses while our communities pay the price. Over the past 30 years, while wages have fallen or stagnated and insurance premiums and other basic costs skyrocketed, wealth has been shifted from working families to Wall Street. It’s not shared sacrifice when only working people make concessions.
- Corporate taxes are at historical lows. Yet $1.6 trillion, corporate profits for the third quarter of 2010 were the highest on record.
- Hospitals nationally recorded $34 billion in profits in 2009, the second highest ever.
- 42 percent of U.S. companies paid no U.S. income taxes for two or more years from 1998 to 2005.
- The average CEO who was paid $27 for every dollar earned by an employee 25 years ago now gets a ratio of about $275 to $1.
Nurses on the front lines of the struggle
From Wisconsin to Michigan to Maine, RNs are joining the fight to resist state laws and budget proposals to silence our collective voices, reduce our retirement security, our health coverage, and our living standards, and the federal attacks on Social Security and Medicare. Similar threats come from healthcare employers who seek to take advantage of the economic crisis to roll back achievements in RN staffing, pay, and benefits that nurses have fought so hard to win. The fight for our communities is our fight. Nurses know that when healthcare, pensions, safety net programs, or education is cut for anyone, everyone is harmed. Nurses bring patients into the world, now we must fight to protect them — and assure a better quality of life and a secure future for our communities, our patients, our families, and ourselves.
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