Union Workers Call For 'Robin Hood Tax'
DETROIT (WWJ) - A group of mostly union workers gathered outside Chase Bank in downtown Detroit Thursday to protest the growing disparity between the rich and poor in the U.S.
Among those carrying signs and wearing Robin Hood hats was Lansing nurse Ashley Forsberg, who said they're calling on Congress to pass a "Robin Hood tax" of half a cent on all Wall Street transactions.
But wouldn't that tax just be passed on to the little people?
"It shouldn't be -- that's the whole point," told WWJ Newsradio 950's Sandra McNeil. "It should be taxed on Wall Street and just something that automatically fuels our economy. So, I mean, they're making billions of dollars and the money is not coming back to us."
Forsberg said the theory that tax cuts to big business creates jobs doesn't pan out."It's not trickling down. Corporations and CEOs are earning multi-million [dollar] wages, while pension funds are getting crushed," she said.
Gregory Winn, with Communication Workers of America, said Wall Street and the big banks created the economic crisis, but they've gotten off scot-free while the poor and middle class have been losing their jobs, their pensions and their homes.
"We have a lot of people in the city that are living out here on this freezing day. So we took a stance today to bring awareness that these large corporations need to stop these loopholes, stop manufacturing these crises," Winn said.
The group of about 20 picketers also included representatives from the UAW and AFL-CIO.
