Boston to Corporations and the 1%: Pay Your Taxes!

A crowd of 1,500 call out tax dodgers in streets of Boston on tax day

#99TaxDay: 1,500 Take to Boston Streets to Call out Corporate & 1% Tax Dodgers

As deadline looms for low-income and middle class families, mass march and rally

shine a light on the companies and CEOs whose Tax Day never comes

  

BOSTON, MA – Upwards of 1,500 Massachusetts taxpayers took to the streets of Boston’s Financial District Tuesday, Tax Day, to demand major corporations and the wealthiest 1% pay their fair share to fund our communities. The massive demonstration came as part of a growing, nationwide wave of discontent against big corporations, the rich, and politicians who have created an economic emergency for the 99% through rampant tax dodging.

As deadlines loomed for millions of low-income and middle class families across Massachusetts, dozens of neighborhood-based actions called out major corporate tax dodgers whose “Tax Day” never seems to come. Fed-up residents from Dorchester to the North Shore later converged on the Financial District, calling out the Hub’s most egregious corporate tax dodgers – General Electric, State Street, Bank of America, Fidelity, Verizon and Wells Fargo. Demonstrators presented the infamous gang of tax dodgers with overdue bills for billions in unpaid tax subsidies, handing the invoices to masked “corporate pigs” bearing the logos of offending corporations [photos attached]. Advocates called for a new, fairer tax system where our hard-earned tax dollars are no longer spent on unnecessary wars and corporate welfare, but instead invested in the vital job creation, healthcare, transit and education programs that keep our communities healthy and sustainable.

“We need these tax dodgers to understand that we’re fed up, and we won’t stand for it anymore,” said Lissy Romanow, who came to the rally with a large group of fellow Lynn residents. "Working families have been carrying an increasing burden for too long – it’s time for big corporations and the 1% to do their part to fund our communities."

More than 30 community, labor and peace groups joined together for the #99TaxDay of action – including MASSUNITING, Right to the City, City Life/Vida Urbana, Massachusetts AFL-CIO, MoveOn.org and OccupyBoston. The diverse coalition was prompted to action by a new report from the non-partisan Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy and Citizens for Tax Justice, which reveals that many Bay State corporations are amongst the worst tax dodgers in America. The tax dodging policies of these companies have drained millions from the Massachusetts economy – forcing mass layoffs, slashing vital services, and closing schools and community centers.

“These corporations don’t care one bit about the services people depend on – whether it’s roads that need to be fixed or teachers in our schools,” said Tyrek Lee, Vice President of 1199 SEIU Massachusetts. “We’ve had enough of their tax dodging. It’s time that companies like GE and State Street pay their fair share, just like the rest of us do.”

Flashmob Performs the General Electric Slide in GE Lobby

VIDEO: Flash Mob Shuts Down GE Lobby, Performs ‘General Electric Slide’

GE shareholders, concerned citizens descend on Summer Street headquarters to raise awareness of corporate giant’s federal tax dodging



Dozens of General Electric (NYSE: GE) shareholders and fellow concerned citizens descended on GE’s Boston headquarters today for a choreographed protest of the corporate giant’s tax dodging practices. The lunch hour flash mob shut down the company’s Summer Street lobby for nearly 20 minutes, as the crew donned blaze orange MASSUNITING hats and performed the “General Electric Slide” to the tune of the 1976 Marcia Griffiths classic [lyrics below].



Check out video of the “General Electric Slide” flash mob here: http://bit.ly/IqRvH6



A new report by the non-partisan Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy and Citizens for Tax Justice reveals that General Electric is amongst the worst tax dodgers in America. Despite posting profits of more than $19.6 billion over the last three years, GE managed to draw in a federal tax refund of $3.7 billion. The resulting net-negative tax rate of -18.9% placed GE near the top of the non-profits’ “Dirty Thirty” list of corporate tax dodgers.



“As a shareholder, I’m saddened to see General Electric has been crowned a top tax dodger yet again,” said Bethanne Sullivan, a GE shareholder from Brockton. “GE brought in nearly $20 billion in profits over the last three years. No one in their right mind can say the company’s billion-dollar tax refunds are justifiable.”



In 2010 alone, General Electric’s federal tax subsidy cost Massachusetts nearly $100 million in federal spending and direct aid – including $15 million for Medicaid, $1 million for education programs and $981,000 in disability compensation for veterans.



“Every year, budgets get tighter and tighter – and every year, taxpayers have to come up with more money just to maintain the basic services we all depend on,” said Lesley Stafford of Boston, who joined Thursday’s flash mob. “If General Electric just paid their fair share like the rest of us do, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”



General Electric shareholders plan to join hundreds of other Massachusetts residents Tuesday, April 17 for a
Tax Day rally and march through Boston’s financial district. The day of action will highlight several of the hub’s most notorious tax-dodging corporations, including GE. Details available at www.TaxDayBoston.org.














‘General Electric Slide’ Lyrics

As performed by Safanya Searcy





We're getting cheated -- it's pathetic!

While they’re making billions – it’s pathetic!

Oooh, it’s shocking! It’s pathetic!



GE pays no taxes – it’s pathetic!

Billions in refunds – it’s pathetic!

You know that ain’t fair – ain’t fair anywhere



Let’s call them out

Before GE bleeds us all dry

Cause they will cheat you, cheat you, cheat you

It’s the General Electric slide



Help us call them out

Before GE bleeds us all dry

We’ve got to fight back, fight back, fight back

Stop they’re dodging, we can’t let them slide



We're all getting cheated -- it's pathetic!

They’re making billions – it’s pathetic!

But they pay no taxes – it’s pathetic!



Immelt makes millions -- it's pathetic!

While they’re screwing workers – it’s pathetic!

You know that ain’t fair – ain’t fair anywhere



[Dance Break]



Help us call them out

Before GE bleeds us all dry

We’ve got to fight back, fight back, fight back

Stop the General Electric slide!



[Dance Break]



We're getting cheated – it’s pathetic!

While they’re making billions – it’s pathetic!

Oooh, it’s shocking! It’s pathetic!



GE pays no taxes – it’s pathetic!

Billions in refunds! It’s pathetic!

You know that ain’t fair – ain’t fair anywhere!

Mass Uniting target the etch a sketch senator Scott Brown for subsidizing the largest oil companies

SOUTH BOSTON, MA – Fed-up consumers gathered outside US Senator Scott Brown’s campaign headquarters in South Boston today, as constituent outrage continues to build over Brown’s vote to send billions in taxpayer funds to the world’s most profitable Big Oil companies. In a 51-47 vote, Brown sided with his Republican colleagues in maintaining the tax giveaways – again putting the interests of major corporations ahead of the people of Massachusetts.

Chanting “Scott Brown, he’s the worst – he put big oil’s interests first,” demonstrators rallied outside the Summer Street campaign office, carrying large gasoline cans – each marking one numeral of the $137 billion dollars in profits posted by Big Oil companies in 2011. The top five Big Oil firms – BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell – are amongst the most profitable corporations in the world, reporting nearly one trillion dollars in profits over the last ten years. Despite these record profits, Scott Brown has continued to support policies that send billions of taxpayer dollars to Big Oil companies – voting in favor of the tax giveaways three times in as many years.i Brown’s vote today ensures these Big Oil firms will receive another $24 billion in taxpayer funds over the next decade.

“The Big Oil companies are already crushing us with their record gas prices,” said Carlos Pagan, who commutes to his Boston-based job from Quincy. “How can Scott Brown justify sending billions more of our hard-earned dollars to these predatory companies?”

A Massachusetts group protests outside a fundraiser of the two "Koch Nephews" in Boston

Scott Brown and Chris Christie Face Backlash Over Anti-Equality Positions, Lack of Jobs Focus

Unemployed workers, equality advocates question how duo’s divisive social agenda will create jobs

   

BOSTON, MA – Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie faced continued constituent backlash over their misplaced priorities Monday, as more than 50 equality advocates, unemployed workers and allies protested outside a $2,500-a-head Brown campaign fundraiser at the Westin Copley Place. Demonstrators braved freezing evening temperatures to call attention to the Republican duo’s misguided focus on divisive social issues while legislative job creation efforts languish at the state and national level.

“Voters elected Scott Brown and Chris Christie because of their promises to create jobs. Yet for years, we’ve seen them focused on divisive social issues,” said Don Gorton of the grassroots equality advocacy group Join the Impact. “Brown and Christie owe their constituents an explanation: how will vetoing equality measures or restricting access to birth control create a single job?”

Brown made headlines last week when the US Senate rejected the junior senator’s bill to limit women’s access to basic health services like birth control, mammograms and cancer screenings. Not to be outdone by his fellow Republican, Governor Christie vetoed New Jersey’s popular Marriage Equality bill soon thereafter. Both spent weeks fielding interviews and making speeches to market their controversial proposals – all while fending off protests as public outcry amassed. Meanwhile, neither Brown nor Christie has taken meaningful steps to fulfill campaign promises to focus on job creation.

“While Scott Brown and Chris Christie spend their time policing bedrooms and doctors’ offices, their constituents are worried about finding work and putting food on the table,” said Darrin Howell, an organizer with MASSUNITING. “It’s beyond time for Brown and Christie to do the job they were elected to do and start focusing on the issues that really matter.”

Funeral Service for Jobs Killed by Bain/Romney

Dozens Gather at Copley Funeral to Mourn Jobs Killed by Bain-Romney
Unemployed workers, faith and community leaders eulogize the untimely deaths of family-supporting jobs at the hands of Romney’s Bain Capital, LLC
BOSTON, MA – Dozens of unemployed workers, faith and community leaders gathered outside the John Hancock Tower this afternoon to mark the untimely death of thousands of family-supporting jobs at the hands of Bain Capital, LLC. The Funeral for American Jobs came as Bain’s founder and former CEO, Mitt Romney, struggles to regain front-runner status in the Republican presidential primary.

View video from the funeral service here: http://bit.ly/xw73db, with additional photos attached.

“This is a sad day – not only for the unemployed in Massachusetts, but for the entire American economy,” said Pastor William Dickerson of Dorchester, who officiated the funeral service. “It is with heavy hearts that we gather to memorialize the senseless death of so many American jobs at the hands of a cold, heartless entity.”

Following a brief sermon, Dickerson led several dozen mourners in prayer for the jobs lost and families affected by the actions of the Romney-led private equity firm. Additional eulogies were presented by unemployed Boston-area workers – each holding the tombstone of a company bankrupted by Bain. One by one, somber mourners called out the names of the companies that have fallen at Bain’s hand, documenting the plant closures and mass layoffs that crippled communities as Romney’s firm walked away with millions.

“Mitt Romney and Bain Capital are killing jobs for profit, plain and simple,” said Olivé Hendricks, an unemployed Roslindale resident. “There’s nothing wrong with capitalism, but companies like Bain have rigged the system –they’re getting rich while the rest of us suffer because of their actions.”

Romney has used his experience as founder and CEO of Bain to claim the “job creator” mantle in his campaign for president. But media reports of his 15-year tenure paint an entirely different picture– showing a record of plant closures, bankruptcies and mass layoffs. Republican primary opponents, including Rick Santorum, have used Romney’s record at Bain to effectively halt the former front-runner’s momentum in recent weeks.

“Thousands of families have lost their jobs, their homes, and their life savings because of Romney and Bain’s unchecked greed,” said Paulette Robinson-Morrison, who came from Dorchester to mourn the passing of middle-class jobs. “The futures of our kids and grandkids have been destroyed because of companies like Bain, and people deserve to know the truth about Romney’s record there.”
Mourners went on to distribute informational leaflets on the Bain-Romney record outside the company's Hancock Tower headquarters.

Mass Uniting plans on holding a funeral for Bain Capital in Boston

MEDIA ADVISORY

For Wednesday, February 22, 2012 @ 12:00PM

Contact: Jason A Stephany, (617) 286-4430,jason@massuniting.org

Funeral for American Jobs to be Held Outside Bain Capital Headquarters WEDNESDAY

Unemployed workers, Occupiers, faith and community leaders to eulogize untimely death of the family-supporting jobs at the hands of Romney-led firm

VISUALS: Funeral service for American jobs outside Bain HQ -- complete with coffins, tombstones, pall bearers and live trumpet rendition of ‘Taps’

BOSTON, MA – Unemployed workers, Occupiers, faith and community leaders will gather Wednesday at noon to mark the untimely death of thousands of family-supporting jobs at the hands of Bain Capital. The Funeral for American Jobs comes as Bain’s former CEO, Mitt Romney, struggles to regain front-runner status in the Republican presidential primary.

The funeral service will be officiated by Pastor William Dickerson, with eulogies presented by unemployed Boston-area workers and allies mourning the thousands of jobs that have been effectively killed by the company Mitt Romney led for more than 15 years. Community leaders will serve as pall bearers for the victims’coffins as they are prepared for burial in front of the Bain Headquarters – in full view of those whose callous actions led to their demise. Tombstones will mark the resting places of nearly a dozen more companies that have fallen at Bain’s hand, along with the jobs that passed away with them.

“This is a sad day – not only for the unemployed in Massachusetts, but for the entire American economy,” said Pastor William Dickerson of Dorchester. “It is with heavy hearts that we gather to memorialize the senseless death of so many American jobs at the hands of one heartless entity.”

Romney has used his experience as CEO of Bain to claim the “job creator” mantle in his campaign for president. But media reports of his tenure at Bain paint an entirely different picture – showing a record of plant closures, bankruptcies and mass layoffs. Republican primary opponents, including Rick Santorum, have used Romney’s record at Bain to effectively halt the front-runner’s momentum in recent weeks.

WHAT: Funeral Service for American Jobs Destroyed by Bain Capital

WHO: Unemployed Massachusetts workers, faith and community leaders memorializing American Jobs and the Middle Class

WHEN: Wednesday, February 22 – 12:00 PM

WHERE: Outside the Headquarters of Bain Capital

200 Clarendon Street – Boston, MA

- ### -

--
Jason A Stephany

Communications Director
MASSUNITING
617.286.4430 office
608.444.0060 cell
www.MassUniting.org

Mass Uniting reenacts from Say Anything with Verizon...Waiting for Verizon's answer

Mass Uniting reenacts the original movie score

100+ Citizen Tax Collectors Descend on GE, Demand Payment

GE refuses to pay taxes. Mass United reminds them of their bill.

Thursday, in the Boston Area, Mass Uniting is having a march

Did you know that you paid more in taxes last year than some of the most profitable companies in America?It's true. In spite of raking in record billions in profits and handing out giant bonuses to their CEOs, many of the biggest corporations in America today paid ZERO in taxes. Some even manages to pull in multimillion-dollar tax REFUNDS.

The jig is up, and it's time for the corporate tax dodgers to pay their fair share

It's time to collect!

Thursday, Jan 26 @ 1 PM
March begins at Dewey Square

For a sign up form and more information link to:
http://action.massuniting.org/page/s/corporate-taxes-past-due?source=lp

Protesters deliver trash to Bank of America for failing to maintain foreclosed property

Protesters Accuse Bank of Neglecting Malden Properties

About ten to fifteen protesters cleaned a dilapidating, foreclosed property on Clinton St. Monday morning, and then delivered the ten bags of trash they collected to the Malden Center branch of Bank of America.
Activists associated with Mass Uniting accused the bank, who owns the property on 56 Clinton St., of failing to maintain a number of properties throughout the city and commonwealth.
They said they hoped the symbolism of returning the trash to the bank would send a message to bank executives about the impact neglected foreclosures can have on a community.

Locals speak out:
“I'm a homeowner in Malden, I pay property taxes here,” Gus Cook said. “I live on a street where there are houses that, for a period of time, were abandoned, (have) a lot of overgrowth and trash build-up, and it tends to affect the curb appeal of the properties around them. Properties that are next to yours are going to affect your property value.”
“It's very sad,” Lisa Hines, an Everett-based community activist with the group said. “The family's belongings were still in the home.”

Full Story Here: http://malden.patch.com/articles/protesters-accuse-bank-of-neglecting-malden-properties-bb52babe

For Those In The Boston Area: A Rally Friday September 30 at 2 P.M. Boston Common Band Stand

Big Banks Are Destroying our community.
The banks took billions of our tax dollars, but refuse to pay their own taxes. We bailed them out, yet we're the ones being forced out of our homes. The banks' greed is costing our neighborhoods millions every year - cutting services and closing schools and community centers. And it's only getting worse.

Big Businesses are killing our jobs and our environment
While the CEOs rake in millions in salary and bonuses, major corporations are laying off thousands of workers each month. They're sitting on trillions in profits and getting billion-dollar tax breaks while the rest of us struggle just to find work to make end meet. And all the while, these companies raise our rates, pump txic chemicals into our water and air, and endanger our families' lives. Enough is enough.

Boston Seaport Hotel Where Bank Of America Execs Recently Met

It's Time To Take Back Our City!

March & Rally
contact www.massuniting.org/rttc

First Senator Scott Brown was hounded at a 1000 dollar a plate fundraiser and now at a baseball game

From Mass uniting a group that has been dogging Senator Scott Brown as he swings through Massachusetts collecting funds to keep his seat. Mass united says, "Scott Brown has turned into a real 'bobble head' for Wall Street and the GOP leadership. So at the Lowell Spinners game on August 22, where Brown was autographing bobble head versions of himself, MassUniting activists unveiled a giant banner saying: 'Scot Brown Bats for Wall Street.' Here are a couple of photos of the event.

Too bad they couldn't have just gone through with their first idea of the Scott Brown baseball Card

Just to remind the voters that Kurt Schilling, and by extension God, supported Senator Scott Brown. Unfortunately they ran up against a higher authority Major League Baseball which made them go to plan B.