Constituents, Union to Protest Anti-Worker Lawmaker

Rally outside Rep. Tim Scott's Charleston, S.C., office to highlight harmful legislative agenda

CHARLESTON, S.C., June 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Constituents from U.S. Rep. Tim Scott's congressional district will join with leaders from nation's largest federal employee union to protest the congressman's anti-worker legislative agenda on Thursday.

The American Federation of Government Employees is organizing the rally outside Rep. Scott's West Ashley office to bring attention to policies being championed by the legislator that would harm federal employees and hard-working Americans in South Carolina and across the country.

Rep. Scott has voted to send 15 percent of all federal workers to the unemployment line, cut 5 percent of Defense Department civilian jobs (including 500 jobs in the Charleston area alone) and freeze pay for the 9,000 federal workers in his district for five years. He's also introduced legislation to give massive tax breaks to corporations and make it harder for workers to join a union.

"Workers in South Carolina and across the country didn't create the financial crisis or the deficit," AFGE National President John Gage said. "It's time for lawmakers like Tim Scott to stop attacking our jobs, pay, pensions and the programs we all rely on. Instead, Tim Scott needs to focus on creating good jobs and making the very rich and big corporations pay their fair share."

Event details:

When: 11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 30

Where: Outside Rep. Scott's office, 2000 Sam Rittenberg Blvd., Charleston, S.C.

Who: AFGE National President John Gage, AFGE National Vice President Everett Kelly, federal employees and constituents from Charleston Air Force Base and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, and others

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 625,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees