Houston Organization of Public Employees Meets to Discuss Pension Battle

From the Front Lines of the Class Struggle. Tonight on 8/28/2012 at the Cope building around 100 members and organizers meet to discuss the coming class battle over the pension funds for the Houston Organization of Public Employees. This is the same struggle as in Wisconsin and all over the country. The city only allocates 2% of its budget for its public employees pension. 9 % for the firefighters and police. The mayor Annise Parker is planning to use "Goverance " by her wealthy friends and cohorts to take control of the workers pension so it can be eventually turned into a 401k. This will lead to the end of any real retirement for the workers .One union member said they would have to work till they died if this happened. The Union leadership mapped out a plan to fight back against the mayor and her rich business friends. Can more money be found ? 300 of the wealthiest building owners in Houston save 57 million dollars a year by not paying their fair share of property taxes and the city spends another 17 million fighting them in court. Theres 74 million for the city budget right there !The guest speaker was Mary Kay Henry the head of the SEIU in Houston. She spoke of the coming battle and how building a broad coalition of unions and community support they could win. She spoke of the lessons learned from the victory of the Janitors strike here recently. I was impressed by one of the leaders in the Firemans Union who said they were approached to set up a separate deal with the city,but they said no. They would stand by their brothers and sisters in the other unions and not do a separate deal. He said we must stand united or they will separate us and take us down one at a time. Unfortunately the police Union made a separate deal with the city. No surprise there. H.O.P.E. Represents around 4000 city employees since signing its first collective bargaining agreement with the city of Houston. It is the largest city workers union in southeast Texas. I can say without a doubt the Union members left the meeting ready to win this up coming struggle.We need to support their struggle by helping to build the broadest coalition possible.This is just the beginning of the 1% trying to drive all our wages down until we lose all the historic gains our brothers and sisters have made in blood and suffering over the years.Lets not allow ourselves to be tricked or divided by our enemies. Otherwise they will suck us dry and leave us in the dirt while they live high on the hog.  

--Mark Simpson