National Day of Action to Protect Social Security

National Day of Action to protect Social Security is Thursday

Working families, union leaders and community allies in dozens of cities across the country will hold events

Thursday, March 31

challenging Charles Schwab, Wachovia and other Wall Street firms to withdraw their support for privatizing Social Security.
The National Day of Action is the biggest single-day grassroots mobilization ever to defeat President Bush's plan to create private accounts that would give a windfall to financial firms but cause Social Security's guaranteed benefits to be cut by nearly half and increase the federal debt by $5 trillion.

In Washington state, protests will be held at noon on March 31 outside Charles Schwab offices in Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma and Spokane to tell the company: "Don't pick our pockets to line yours!" (Download the rally flier.)

SEATTLE -- 508 Union St. -- Contact Bob Gorman: 206-448-4888

BELLEVUE -- 11100 NE 8th St. -- Contact Steve Dzielak: 206-448-1059

TACOMA -- 1148 Broadway -- Contact Patty Rose: 253-473-3810

SPOKANE -- 601 W. Riverside -- Contact Beth Thew: 509-327-7637

The Charles Schwab Corp. is a major backer of the push to privatize Social Security accounts because it is well positioned to make huge profits managing private accounts. Schwab’s support for privatization is a conflict of interest for the company given that many of its clients have entrusted their savings with the firm to ensure their retirement security.

The AFL-CIO has been pressuring various U.S. financial firms with a vested interest in privatizing Social Security to withdraw their public support for Bush's plan. The success of this campaign spurred Republican congressional leaders last Friday to ask the Labor Department to investigate these AFL-CIO activities as potentially illegal.

For more information about the national Social Security campaign against Schwab and other Wall Street firms, visit www.wallstreetgreed.org or www.aflcio.org.

Also Thursday, those of you in Olympia who oppose Bush's Social Security plan have an opportunity to demonstrate that opposition. The House Children and Family Services Committee will be holding a public hearing at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in JLOB House Hearing Room D on SJM 8014, a resolution expressing opposition to the privatization of Social Security. Sponsored by Sen. Pat Thibaudeau (D-Seattle), it has already passed the State Senate on a party-line 25-23 vote.