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Unions voice protests over Schwarzenegger's reforms

A man dressed as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attends a demonstration outside a fund-raising dinner for Schwarzenegger in San Francisco, California. PHOTO: AFP

About 2,000 union demonstrators protested against California Governor Arnold Schwarzen-egger's package of proposed reforms outside a hotel where he was raising money for a slate of ballot measures.

Nurses, teachers, firefighters, police and members of several public employee unions have been staging noisy protests against the Republican governor for months. On Tuesday night, they aired their complaints outside the Ritz-Carlton hotel in San Francisco.

"He picked the wrong group," said Deborah Burger, president of the 60,000-member California Nurses Association. "We don't have a lot of money, but we have connections with the community."

Nurses have been demonstrating against Schwarzenegger since November, when he issued an emergency rule delaying implementation of a new state law requiring hospitals to have at least one nurse for every five patients. A Sacramento County Superior Court struck down Schwarzenegger's rule change last month.

Other unions have joined the nurses in recent weeks as the governor has begun pushing his reform measures, which include paying teachers according to merit rather than seniority and converting the state's public pension system into personal retirement accounts.

Schwarzenegger spokesman Rob Stutzman dismissed the protest as a union-inspired event that did not represent average Californians. He said there were risks in "attributing much significance" to the event, alluding to the city's strong union base and tradition for free speech.

Outside the hotel, a plane flew overhead carrying a banner reading "Arnold: California is not for sale." Some protesters carried signs, one of which said "Arnold can't be bought, big business already owns him."

Schwarzenegger has promised to raise US$50 million to promote his proposals, saying national unions could spend as much as US$200 million to oppose his efforts.

Those who attended the San Francisco event paid at least US$1,000 a plate to dine with Schwarzenegger, said Reed Dickens of Citizens to Save California.
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