Working Families Continue to be Pushed Aside by Governor Bill Lee While Corporate Special Interest Groups Get Rewarded

Tennessee AFL-CIO President Billy Dycus issued the following statement in response to Governor Bill Lee's State of the State address.

"Year after year, we continue to be less surprised when we hear Governor Bill Lee describe a version of Tennessee that does not exist for our state's working families. However, that does not make his remarks any less insulting or clearly out-of-touch with what the majority of his constituents experience every day.

Whether it's his ongoing push to destroy public education and expand Tennessee's school voucher scheme to all 95 counties or the unending parade of tax breaks given to corporations, it's no secret where his true priorities lie. We know that big business and special interest groups control the legislature, and tonight made it incredibly clear that they've got a tight grip on the Governor's Office, too.

If Governor Lee is as committed to our state's economic prosperity as he claims, he should turn his focus towards creating good, union jobs that pay family-sustaining wages rather than catering to corporations looking to line the pockets of their executives instead of their workers.

We agree with Governor Lee that Tennessee is a remarkable place, but that can only be a reality if everyone has a chance to create a good life for themselves and their families. Ripping crucial resources away from public schools, increasing corporate profits, and ignoring the needs of working families isn't leadership. It's caving to the most extreme factions of the supermajority and further cementing Tennessee's status as a haven for the rich and powerful."