Eight caregivers, community activists arrested in Capitol over budget cuts

Hundreds rally in State Capitol to let the General Assembly know that their work will not be done if they fail to pass fair tax increase

Holding a banner that read “Do your job – raise income tax now!” eight caregivers and community activists were arrested in the State Capitol today in a peaceful protest calling on the General Assembly to stop devastating cuts to home care and child care by passing a tax increase. Over 200 health care and child care workers rallied in support, calling a “quick fix” pension bond sale plan that will force billions of dollars in cuts to vital services no solution to the state’s budget crisis.

“These arrests should serve as a wake up call to the members of the General Assembly who have failed to take these cuts seriously and think that the pension bond sale plan solves the state’s budget problems,” said Sandra Wiekerson, a home care worker from Chicago and one of the eight arrestees. “Legislators cannot leave Springfield thinking that they’ve done their jobs and protected our families—not when we’re still looking at tens of thousands of seniors being forced out of their homes and children cut from the child care program.” 

Springfield's WAND TV was there:

In May, the General Assembly passed a budget that slashed funding by 50%. In recent days, the freeing up of $2.2 billion in state pension bond sales has been touted as the solution to the state’s budget crisis, but a remaining $3.4 billion deficit—a 30% funding cut—would still mean drastic cuts to human services. Under this “quick fix” plan 30,000 seniors would lose their home care, 80,000 working parents would lose their child care assistance and many other critical programs would be slashed or eliminated.

“Our elected officials already failed us once by passing a budget that slashes critical programs,” explained Elizabeth Dukes, a child care provider from Chicago and another one of the arrestees. “Today is about showing them that these cuts are real and that our families will be devastated if they don’t right their wrongs and pass a budget that includes a fair income tax increase—the only way to stop these cuts and protect Illinois families.”

Tuesday’s rally and arrests come after months of an aggressive campaign to stop budget cuts that has included several waves of voter education mail, thousands of phone calls, door-to-door canvassing and a variety of TV, radio, print, web and outdoor advertisements. SEIU Healthcare Illinois members have participated in over 28 demonstrations since June 11, including a 5000-person rally in the State Capitol on June 23 as part of the Campaign for Illinois’ Future (illinoisfuture.org)—a coalition of more than 45 organizations united in the fight for a fair budget. 

For more information on the eight arrestees, check out their bios here.