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AFSCME's Blueprint for Welfare Reform

AFSCME'S Blueprint For Welfare Reform

Congress recently passed a sweeping overhaul of the nation's welfare system that changes the way we help poor families. Our elected officials need to know that we don't want these changes to hurt poor children or make it harder for families to make a living.

AFSCME'S principles for real reform

Real Welfare reform must:

Create real, new jobs.

In the next five years we will need to create new jobs for up to two million people leaving welfare. This must be done without taking job opportunities away from people who already have them. And these must be real jobs that pay workers enough to raise a family and lift themselves out of poverty.
Make work fair.

We are in danger of creating a new sub-class of workers. Everyone who works should be treated the same and enjoy the same rights, such as a minimum wage, overtime, health and safety protections, and the opportunity to join a union.
Recognize that immigrants are also taxpayers.

Like you and me, immigrants work hard and pay taxes. Like you and me, they sometimes need help from programs they pay for. Forcing more immigrants into poverty helps no one, and goes against the principles of freedom and equality that generations of American have fought and died for.
Protect our tax dollars from profiteers.

When we use tax dollars to provide assistance to people in need, we must avoid waste and corruption. Only public workers are directly responsible to taxpayers for the work they do. It is they who should administer the new programs - not corporations more interested in profits than public service.
Protect families, not corporations.

Corporations enjoy more than $300 billion in federal tax breaks and subsidies. Who pays for it? Taxpayers, that's who. Politicians should eliminate the lucrative special deals for corporations before taking one more dollar out of programs providing basic services to the poor, including health care, child nutrition, and community services.
Make children better off.

Reforming welfare should leave children better off, not worse which includes ensuring quality childcare for children of working parents.