WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Republican National Committee could not care less about the U.S. economy. A new RNC fundraising video (http://www.gop.com/obamasunionbosses/email/) demonstrates that it wants Americans to forget about our economic problems.
Instead the RNC has conjured up a new boogeyman to scare Americans enough to forget the past and open up their wallets: Union leaders.
“The RNC is trying to fool the public into thinking that they are defending the middle class against unions, and that is both outrageous and offensive,” said IAFF General President Harold A. Schaitberger. “Who do they think created the middle class? If they are successful in their efforts to destroy unions, there will be no middle class in America.”
The video seeks to paint middle class Americans – the teachers, sanitation workers, fire fighters and police in Wisconsin -- desperately trying to defend their collective bargaining rights as “jack-booted thugs.”
We know that there are few GOP lawmakers out there who understand the IAFF and other unions are fighting the good fight. But it is truly disingenuous for the RNC to pretend to defend the middle class and then trash unions. If the RNC is so concerned about the middle class:
- Why does the RNC insist on massive tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent?
- Why does the RNC seek to privatize social security and leave Americans’ hard-fought nest-eggs in the hands of Wall Street?
- Why does the RNC want to destroy collective bargaining state-by state, the one system that gives middle-class employees a voice in their workplaces?
“The RNC says they are for the middle class, but they are funded by billionaires and are really trying to destroy the middle class,” Mr. Schaitberger said. “We fire fighters and paramedics are not jack-booted union thugs; we risk our lives every day to protect families, businesses and America’s hometowns.”
Editor’s note: IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger will be available for interviews.
The IAFF, headquartered in Washington, represents more than 297,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics. The IAFF is the leading advocate in North America for the health and safety of first responders. More information is available at www.iaff.org