Good news, bad news for MO workers

News today from Missouri Jobs with Justice.  Although the earnings tax elimination for Kansas City and St. Louis doesn't directly effect mid-MO, it would be a disaster for the cities.  Billionaire Rex Sinquefield totally funded this effort. We will track this campaign here and encourage union members in mid-MO to help our brothers and sisters in our two largest cities. Sunday, May 2 was the deadline to turn in signatures for November 2010 ballot initiatives in Missouri.  Missouri Jobs with Justice and its members organize every year to insure the values and interests of Missouri's workers are represented in this process. 2010 sees both good news and bad news for Missouri workers on the November 2010 ballot. The GOOD NEWS the so-called "Save Our Secret (SOS) Ballot" initiative failed to turn in signatures to qualify this anti-democratic initiative for the ballot. Read more The BAD NEWS is that the Millionaire Tax Cut – the Earnings Tax initiative did turn in enough signatures that it will likely qualify for the November 2010 statewide ballot.Read more about this reckless threat to essential public services in our state's two biggest economic centers  CLICK HERE to see St. Louis Jobs with Justice Leader Martin Rafanan discussing the economic devastation that would be caused by eliminating the Earnings Tax. This initiative faced nearly unprecedented opposition statewide in the signature gathering phase -  including nearly 500 JwJ members who actively participated in the 12-week campaign to educate voters to decline to sign.  We were joined by universal support at the Kansas City Council, the St Louis Board of Aldermen and business interests represented by the Civic Council and Chamber of Commerce in Kansas City. Yet, in the face of this immense opposition, the initiative succeeded because of deep pockets.  It was supported and solely funded by checks from one multi-millionaire who recently moved to St Louis. What was at stake with Save Our Secret ballot: The Save our Secret Ballot Initiative would have attempted to limit the ways workers are allowed to form a union in Missouri - forcing us into a broken federal bureaucracy at the National Labor Relations Board.  You can read the stories of Missouri workers who fought for a voice at work and were left unprotected. What is at stake in November with the Earnings Tax Initative Earnings Tax repeal is an attack on the whole economy of the state by seeking to cripple two of the state's economic centers – The cities of St. Louis and Kansas City. It will eliminate the main source of funding each city uses to provide basic services like public safety and garbage collection. St. Louis and Kansas City are the two main economic centers of Missouri – providing almost 70% of the state's sales tax revenue, income tax revenue and other State revenue..  This initiative would prevent residents of Missouri's 2 largest cities from deciding their own future by preventing a future vote by either city's residents or the city councils to reinstate the earnings tax.  If residents of St. Louis or Kansas City decided that they wanted to end the massive cuts to their city's budgets, this initiative actually prohibits them from doing so. The initiative would likely impose tax increases on lower- and middle-income families by forcing them to pay more in property and sales taxes to make up for the revenue it eliminates.