By Doug Cunningham

Teamsters Local 237 president Greg Floyd in New York says there needs be shared sacrifice as states and cities strive to balance their budgets. And that means the “haves” – the rich and corporations -  paying more taxes to support public services, not just workers taking pay and pension cuts.

[Floyd]: “If we all give a little we can get there, meaning how much money do you need from labor, how much do you need from the finncial institutions, how much do you need from the billionaires and millionaires that they don’t get tax breaks? Everyone has to pay their fair share – everyone. This has to be shared sacrifice.”

 Floyd says his members are paid an average salary of just $27,000 and retirees get an average of $19,000 in pensions.

 [Floyd 2]: “Public workers’ compensation is not out of whack because in recent years we’ve been given benefits and pensions in lieu of salary. So they’re not out of whack. What’s out of whack is that America has decided that they ant to balance their whole financial problem on the backs of public workers.”