Pre-Concert Press Conference Sunday to Kick Off Protest
Registered Nurses from the California Nurses Association (CNA) and the National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC) will travel to Boston to protest Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s corporate fundraising and policies harmful to nurses and other Californians outside a $100,000 per ticket fundraiser he is holding at the Rolling Stones kickoff concert at Fenway Park in Boston. They will be joined by RNs from the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), as well as local teachers, firefighters, and activists at a pre-concert press conference this Sunday, August 21st at 5:00 pm.
- What: RNs protest Schwarzenegger at Rolling Stones Concert
- When: Sunday, August 21, 5:00 PM Press Conference; 6 pm Concert
- Where: Fenway Park, entrance to glass elevator
Schwarzenegger has been dogged for the last nine months by protestors, led by the CNA, at some 75 public appearances, especially his fundraising events held across the nation. The protests have galvanized public opposition to his policies, which include attacks on nurses, teachers, firefighters, and have contributed to a free fall in his approval ratings from the mid-70s to the low-30s. Schwarzenegger at one point boasted about “kicking (nurses’) butts” and moved to roll back the state’s landmark law requiring safe registered nurse staffing ratios to protect patient safety. The MNA has recently proposed a similar law for Massachusetts.
As Governor, Schwarzenegger has smashed every record for corporate fundraising, with him and his allies taking in $81 million in just the first six months of 2005. Schwarzenegger is now raising funds to support a costly special election that he has scheduled for November, called despite the opposition of a majority of Californians. The ballot includes a variety of pro-corporate proposals, including measures to:
- End prescription drug pricing reform and guarantee pharmaceutical corporations billions more in profits from low-income consumers.
- Give Schwarzenegger much greater power to cut funding for health care, education, and other social programs.
- Slash job protections for teachers
- Discourage RN and other public employee unions from participating in politics while placing no limits on corporate spending on elections
“Nearly 70% of Californians have seen through the Hollywood hype and now disapprove of Arnold Schwarzenegger, his cash register politics, and his disgraceful attack on those who provide vital public services in our state,” said Deborah Burger, RN, President of the California Nurses Association. “The reason he is traveling around the country raising money is that big corporate interests hope to replicate his disastrous program in other states. The nurses of California, joined by our colleagues across the nation will be sure that our message is heard as well.”
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