Leaflets planned today to protest proposed transit cuts
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Transit advocates plan to pass out leaflets at Downtown bus stops this afternoon to rally opposition to a 35 percent Port Authority service cut planned for September.
The group will urge Gov. Tom Corbett to increase funding for transit to avert the cuts.
"If Governor Corbett refuses to fund public transit, it could deal a city-killing blow to Pittsburgh and devastate our region," Dave Ninehouser, Pittsburgh coordinator for PA Wants to Work, said in a statement announcing the campaign. "Thousands of jobs are on the line."
"Without public transit, workers can't get to their jobs and business in our region will suffer. Imagine the increased traffic and gridlock on our roads and increased parking and gas costs on drivers if these deep cuts happen," he said.
Mr. Ninehouser said members of the We Are One coalition, made up of labor, faith and community groups, will take part. The coalition wants to establish on ongoing presence to rally support on state budget issues.
"We want this to be an ongoing thing ... we've got a lot of budget issues coming down the line. But the big focus for now is on transit and infrastructure," he said.
PA Wants to Work is a project of the state AFL-CIO and Allegheny County Labor Council.
The group plans to meet at 4 p.m. at the United Steelworkers building on the Boulevard of the Allies and then fan out to distribute leaflets from 4:15 p.m. until 6 p.m.
First Published January 30, 2012 12:00 am
