Working Families Protest Whitman and Fiorina’s “Wall Street Express” Outside GOP “Victory” Breakfast

by Orange County Labor Federation Communications Coordinator Priscilla Luviano

As Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina celebrated spending a combined $100 million to buy their primary victories at the GOP “victory” breakfast this morning, California workers and families protested outside the Anaheim Hilton. The working Californians who would be harmed by Whitman and Fiorina’s anti-worker Wall Street agenda chanted and waved signs declaring that 'California will not be sold to the highest bidder.'

Tefere Gebre, Exectuive Director of the Orange County Labor Federation:

Working families reject the Whitman-Fiorina Wall Street agenda that would devastate the middle class while lining the pockets of their corporate CEO friends. Working families are declaring today that California is not for sale to the highest bidder.

According to Roberta Campos, a United Domestic Workers member who took part in the protest:

It’s ridiculous! Meg proposes to cut 40,000 jobs as Governor and to elimnate 15 billion dollars worth of critical public services while giving tax breaks to corporations? No way! We need to create jobs, not cut them.

Campos showed concerns that the services she provides as a home care provider will be cut and the elderly who she tends to will die if these services are cut.

The California Nurses Association also joined the rally today bringing along 'Queen Meg' and her sidekick, 'Princess Carly.' “Carly and I are cut from the same cloth,” said Queen Meg as she addressed the crowd and as she pointed to their elaborate royal regalia. The nurses' Queen Meg has taken a statewide tour of California, with her satirical street theater demonstrating how out of touch Meg is with California’s working families. (Scroll down to watch the video.)

The presence of scores of working families outside the GOP “victory” breakfast showed that California’s labor community is launching the largest grassroots campaign ever, an effort that will include contact with millions of California voters to counter the Whitman/Fiorina ”Wall Street Express." Check out the news coverage of today's protest from LA Times, Sacramento Bee, OC Register and ABC7.