thursday, march against MUNI service cuts and fare hikes!

please forward widely...

ALL OUT IN SF!
STOP THE SERVICE CUTS!
REVERSE THE FARE HIKE!

This Thursday, November 10
Gather at 24th & Mission Street, 4:00 pm
March to City Hall for a
Rally across from the Mayor's office

The MEXICAN BUS will be at 24th and Mission
for seniors and those who can't march the entire distance.

BRING A FRIEND!
BRING POTS, PANS, OTHER NOISEMAKERS!
Bring signs and banners!

JOIN US!

Initiated by the San Francisco Day Labor Program, an organization made up
primarily of immigrant workers. Other organizations participating in the
march now include Mujeres Unidas y Activas, POWER (People Organized to Win
Employment Rights), the Chinese Progressive Association, St. Peter's
Housing Committee, HOMEY, La Raza Centro Legal, the SF Living Wage
Coalition, CARECEN (Central American Resource Center), Social Strike, and
Muni Fare Strike.

----

From the Fare Strike bulletin:

MUNI's "FINANCIAL DEATH SPIRAL"

A recent article in the SF Weekly by Matt Smith summed up the situation
pretty well:

"Our transit system -- run by an interim chief with minimal relevant
experience -- is in a financial death spiral, as service cuts lead to
reduced ridership, and the resulting reduced income from fares leads to
budget shortfalls, which lead to more service cuts and still fewer
riders... Yet our mayor retains a media reputation, crafted during this
election campaign, as a transit-policy wonk."

The SF Weekly article in which this comment appears details the diversion
(perhaps theft is a better word) by San Francisco politicians of $13
million from a state fund for "safe neighborhood parks, clean water, clean
air, and coastal protection" in order to fund the recent golf tournament
at Harding Park near Lake Merced. Incredibly, $5 million of that money was
supposed to be used for "high priority, urgent, unmet needs, in the most
heavily populated and most economically disadvantaged areas."

It certainly would have been much easier to justify using that money to
add some Muni buses so people in "economically disadvantaged areas" could
actually get to a park or a beach on occasion.

The SF Weekly article "The Money Went Fore What?" is at:
http://www.sfweekly.com/Issues/2005-10-26/news/smith.html

All of this takes place against the backdrop of an ever-increasing
economic crisis for those of us who aren't walking around with a handheld
computer or planning our next golf game. The cost-of-living went up faster
in September than at any time in the last two decades. A lot of that
increase went directly into the coffers of the big oil companies -- Exxon,
Shell and our local Chevron reported a record $22.5 billion in profits for
the last quarter. PG&E is telling us to expect to pay 50% more for natural
gas this year. Sunset Scavenger wants a 40% rate increase for our garbage
pickup. And the feds are plotting to take food stamps away from 300,000
people and cut off school lunches and breakfasts to 40,000 children.

Muni's service cuts and fare increases are just one aspect of this crisis
for the poor and disadvantaged. But it is one that targets, and thus
unites, thousands and thousands of working class folks.

--
The full bulletin and past bulletins can be found at http://www.MuniFareStrike.net