Nurses Converge for “Robin Hood Tax”, Reps from UK, Italy, Canada, Guatemala, Germany and South Korea to join in.

Chicago - Endorsed by over 85 environmental, labor and health groups who are participating, nurses will march to Daley Plaza, alongside Robin Hood and the band of merry women and men, in a call to heal U.S. and global economies.  Robin  and many friends are echoing what many are saying:  No to austerity!  Austerity policies have failed and the nurses and supporters are calling for immediate tax revenue to stop economic demise.
 
The march culminates in a rally where Robin and the nurses will scour the brush and trees for the absent G-8 world leaders – hidden in the woods of Maryland.   What will they do to help average families, not banks and Wall Street, in the midst of continuing economic gloom?  Robin has an answer.
 
A Robin Hood Tax is a small tax on Wall Street trades on stocks, bonds, derivatives and other financial instruments to raise revenue without delay and address the unwarranted pain of U.S. and global austerity measures while those who caused the 2008 economic collapse continue to profit.
 
Renown musician Tom Morello, The Nightwatchman, will join the festivities, at Daley Plaza.
 
March:   11 a.m., begins at Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, 301 East North Water St.
Rally:      12:15 p.m., Daley Plaza, Randolph at Dearborn
 
“Bailouts and bonuses for the banks, austerity for the rest of us.  That’s been the prescription of the 1 percent and of far too many among the G-8. No wonder they have run off to seclusion at Camp David,” said Karen Higgins, RN, co-president of National Nurses United, which is sponsoring the May 18 action.
 
“But they won’t be able to avoid the 99 percent for long if they don’t take meaningful action to heal the U.S. and global economies. We believe a Robin Hood tax, on Wall Street speculation, would be a good start – to recoup the gains from gambling with people’s pensions, savings, and homes – and could raise $350 billion or more every year for a national and global rebirth,” Higgins said.
 
Among the more than 85 U.S. and international environmental, health, labor, faith, anti-poverty, and other organizations that have endorsed the May 18 action in Chicago are: AFL-CIO, Health Gap (Global Action Project), Oxfam America, National People’s Action, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, United Students Against Sweatshops, Friends of the Earth, National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities, ACT V: The End of AIDS, European Federal of Public Services Unions, NFL Players Association, Public Services International, Korean Health and Medical Workers Union.
 
Chicago area endorsers include Occupy Chicago, Chicago Teachers Union, Chicago Jobs with Justice, Citizen Action/Illinois, ARISE Chicago, and Chicago Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

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