On the occasion of the Governor’s budget address, New Jersey 1199SEIU members, together with other unions and progressive groups, rallied in front of the State House in Trenton on February 21.

Among those present were members of the Communications Workers of America Local 1023, Occupy Trenton, New Jersey Education Association, the Mid-Jersey MoveOn Council, New Jersey Citizen Action, and the event’s sponsor, New Jersey Working Families.

The gathering was part of a campaign to protest Governor Chris Christie’s proposed 10 percent tax cut, which will cost the state an estimated $150-180 million in its first phase alone. The tax rollback is expected to give large amounts of money back to the wealthy, while providing little relief those who need it most.

While 10 percent on millionaires’ incomes would represent sizeable returns for New Jersey’s wealthy, working families with more modest incomes would see little return to their pockets under the proposal. Protesters waved signs that read, “Invest in New Jersey” and “Tax the 1%,” to which cars honked and passersby cheered in support.

“We have been waiting for the benefits of Christie’s and others’ ‘trickle down’ economics for a long time now,” said Milly Silva, 1199SEIU Executive Vice President of 1199 SEIU in New Jersey.

“Instead, we have only seen the disparity between the nation’s rich and poor grow bigger and bigger. We cannot keep taking care of the wealthy first, while leaving working families to fend for themselves.”

Yesterday’s rally follows several other events organized this month that have focused on the challenges facing many working-class and middle-class families across the state.