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Don't Balance the Budget on the Backs of UT's Working Families
Last Wednesday Governor Bredesen announced plans to completely eliminate any pay raise for state and higher education employees, along with substantial layoffs of state employees and cuts to higher education budgets.
Cuts to higher education could lead to job cuts at UT as well. We understand that the state faces a $500 million dollar deficit- we also know that the state's rainy day fund has close to a billion dollars in it, and that recent articles in major news media outlets in the state estimate that there are $2.7 billion dollars in exemptions to the state's sales tax.
This week is a critical week as the Governor and the legislature will deliberate how to offset the deficit. They need to know that we can not accept a budget that is balanced on the backs of UT's working families.
Please take time to send an email to the targets outlined in this alert.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Don't balance the budget on the backs of UT's Working Families!
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
UT workers understand that the economy is not doing well. We feel it at the grocery store and the gas pump. We understand that the budget situation looks equally grim, and in times like these Tennesseans are willing to make sacrifices.
However, the state budget should not be balanced on the backs of its employees. Please do all you can to ensure that there are no cuts to UT's budget, and please fight to find the money to give all employees a decent cost of living raise.
Sincerely,
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