Philadelphia-As Philadelphia faces down the final SRC vote on school closings next week, Congress’s failure to reach an agreement to stop $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts will only add to the problems of the cash-strapped Philadelphia School District. Gabe Morgan, Pennsylvania State Director and Vice President of 32BJ SEIU issued the following statement in response:

“Philadelphia is facing dozens of school closings that are the direct result of an education crisis manufactured by the Corbett administration. And now we are about to get hit by another crisis manufactured in Washington. Sequester cuts will only add insult to injury for Pennsylvanians still reeling from three years of Governor Corbett’s drastic cuts to education.

“These sequester cuts are just as unnecessary and arbitrary as the Philadelphia school closings. Both result from political leaders who would rather give tax breaks to millionaires than fund public education. Philadelphia’s students, teachers and building services workers are about to get hit with a double whammy and will suffer at a time when they can least afford it.”

Click here for more info. on the Impact of March 1st Cuts on Middle Class Families, Jobs and Economic Security: Pennsylvania

With more than 125,000 members, including 10,000 in the Philadelphia area, 32BJ is the largest property services union in the country.