In Cutting PERS, Oregon Democrats Strike Harsh Blow Against Working People
The Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America strongly condemns the cuts to Oregon’s public employees’ retirement, which were made last week by a legislature with a supermajority of Democrats.
Portland DSA has many members who are teachers and other public employees directly impacted by this attack, and many more members who volunteered their time campaigning for the Democrats that voted for these cuts. Oregonians excited by last November’s “blue wave” election now feel rightfully betrayed — this is not what we voted for.
Many Portland-area ‘progressive’ Democrats voted for the retirement cuts, such as Rob Nosse, Alissa Keny-Guyer, Michael Dembrow, Barbara Smith-Warner, Tawna Sanchez, and Mitch Greenlick.
Even worse, the Democratic leadership used bullying tactics to whip the votes: Tina Kotek, Peter Courtney, Ginny Burdick, Jennifer Williamson and Governor Brown are the masterminds of this assault on workers.
The retirement cuts affect tens of thousands of public employees in Oregon, from teachers to those working for various cities, counties, and the state itself; the vast majority of those affected are working people. It also opens the door for future cuts, following the lead of the Republicans who’ve clamored to gut PERS for years.
Every excuse given by Democrats who voted for the cuts was borrowed straight from the Republican rhetoric used to justify endless austerity despite the abundance of wealthy individuals and large corporations in Oregon. Taxing the 1% was an option the Democrats never mentioned.
The PERS crisis is itself manufactured. Oregon still has one of the better funded pension plans in the country. Addressing onerous accounting measures and account mismanagement are two ways the system could be “fixed” without raising a dime of new revenue.
Portland DSA will hold the PERS attackers accountable. We call on labor and organizations on the left to fight against this theft from working people in the state. The Democratic Party has once again shown that they stand with the ruling class and corporate elite who will continue to perpetuate class war in this state and across the country.
