Leaders of the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) issued a letter to Governor Rell Tuesday calling on her to make good on her comments that all Connecticut residents must "share" in the sacrifices necessary to get our economy back on track. Signed by the leaders of the thirteen unions that comprise SEBAC, the communication asks the Governor to consider increasing the tax rates for the wealthy as a key part of the budget solution.

"We respect your view that increasing the top tax rates on Connecticut’s wealthiest would be worse for the economy than the cuts you've proposed on Connecticut’s neediest and on the middle class," reads the letter. "We also believe it's dead wrong."

The letter points out that Governor Rell's budget would remove far more public spending from Connecticut’s economy than the President’s stimulus package puts in. "The net result -- instead of increased public spending to jump start our economy -- would be decreased public spending to further weaken our economy...more layoffs, foreclosures, and bankruptcies."

"The Governor's budget closes courthouses, takes away services for the blind, for children without healthcare, for the elderly and for other vulnerable populations," said Joe Gaetano, who works in the Hartford Judicial District Courthouse and serves as President of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers/SEIU Local 731. "The Governor is mortgaging our future just to say she balanced the budget without asking Connecticut's wealthiest residents to come forward. What's 'shared' about that?"

The letter comes a week after the release of SEBAC's "Shared?" television and cable ad, which calls on the Governor to ask for the wealthy and big businesses to pay their fair share to help balance the current budget deficit.

IBPO/SEIU Local 731 is one of the thirteen unions in SEBAC, which serves to unite approximately 50,000 Connecticut State public service workers to address issues of common concern. To learn more about the coalition's campaign for a fair budget and a livable state with great public services visit www.InThisTogetherCT.org.

 June 23 "A Fair State Budget Requires a Shared Sacrifice" letter