Coalition Launched to Repeal Anti-Labor Gaming Compacts
by Paul Hogarth, 2007-12-12
Labor activists, environmentalists and the San Francisco Democratic Party held a City Hall rally yesterday to kick off the campaign to defeat Propositions 94-97 on the February ballot. After Governor Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez pushed through contracts with four Native American tribes to allow for casinos on their land, UNITE-HERE gathered signatures to put the gaming compacts on the ballot – so that voters can repeal them.
These compacts are a giveaway to the wealthiest Indian tribes in the state, without demanding that they respect basic California labor law for casino employees, or environmental law. Unlike other gaming compacts, it does not help the more impoverished tribes benefit from casino revenue and does nothing to fund public schools. By defeating Props 94 to 97, California voters will have the chance to repeal these four gaming compacts – and send the state back to the drawing board. “The Democratic Party is the party of working people,” said Scott Wiener, chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. “Defeating these 4 compacts will be our top priority this election. We will send the Governor back to the drawing board, and draft gaming compacts that respect working men and women.”
And how about not rewarding a tribe that violates the civil rights of their people?
No comments:
Post a Comment