Labor unions representing registered nurses have organized protests outside the offices of 61 members of Congress calling on lawmakers to support a Wall Street transaction tax.
National Nurses United, along with local unions such as the Massachusetts Nurses Association, organized the protests Thursday. They estimated that 10,000 nurses and supporters participated in demonstrations in 21 states. They said a Wall Street transaction tax would “raise sufficient revenue to make Wall Street pay for the devastation it has caused on Main Street.”
Among the targets of the protest were the offices of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., Senators Scott Brown, R-Mass., Mark Udall, D-Colo., Michael Bennett, D-Colo., Pat Toomey, R-Pa., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Darryl Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.
The group called for a tax on Wall Street trading of stocks, derivatives, currencies, credit default swaps and futures. The protesters drew attention to Wall Street contributions to the lawmakers’ political campaigns, in contrast to budget cuts at community health care facilities.
