Greetings,

Together we all worked hard to win a June pay increase in our union contract--an increase that Gov. Bob H olden has honored in his recent budget proposal. But some politicians are now trying to prevent our wage increase from happening.

Secretary of State Matt Blunt, a gubernatorial candidate, has been echoing the comments of several lawmakers this month who have said they want to take away our raises. At one point Blunt went so far as to threaten a government shutdown.

At the urgning of AFSCME, Holden approved a $600 pay increase last year for all state employees earning under $40,000 a year. In our union contract, Holden's administration also agreed to give many workers a wage increase starting in July. All direct care and craft & maintenance workers would receive an increase on top of htat if the Governor's budget passes.

TAKE ACTION 1) Call Matt Blunt at 1-800-509-0176 and tell him to stop trying to take away our pay increases. To complete the call, you'll be asked to dial in a code: 300

2) Sign up for Lobby Day in Jefferson City on March 10th and make your voice heard.