It has certainly been a long time since my last post. This year has been one of many firsts for me: the first time with a new Crew, I'm teaching a computer science course, and the first time I'm diving in deeper with my role as Chapter Leader of our branch of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). I've spent countless hours talking with colleagues, administration, and more trying to learn and make the role better for me and my staff. All the while I have been paying attention to labor issues nationwide and wondering how they will affect us here in New York City.
The biggest concern of public sector unions right now is a Supreme Court case known as Janus vs. AFSCME. It is essentially a case debating if public sector unions should be allowed to mandate non-members to still pay something called an "agency fee" since they still benefit from collective bargaining that the union provides. As a deeply committed union member, I think it is important that the agency fee stay in place. It is only fair. That being said, there are others who completely disagree and have started smear campaigns against unions, saying that they "stole" money from them and that they are better off without the union. Unfortunately, that is not true.
So, when teachers in so-called "right-to-work" states (more like "right-to-make-less-money-and-have-fewer-benefits" states) strike due to low salaries and poor working conditions, it means something all the more. By now I hope you have read about all 55 counties of West Virginia going on strike to fight for what they rightly deserve: a decent wage. Teachers in Oklahoma followed suit and are now in their fifth day of walking out. Teachers in Kentucky are as well.
What is obvious to me is that with enough desperation a group can come together to work toward a common goal. But, that also means they need to be motivated to get there and have the leadership in place to follow suit. I applaud the various unions across the country who are working to push for better working conditions and salaries that their members deserve. Workers at Disney are also protesting horrible wages but are unfortunately not getting enough attention.
I'm sorry if I am missing some other major union actions that are not well publicized. I hope that can be added in the comments. But please know that I support strong unions that fight well for their workers rights.
The biggest concern of public sector unions right now is a Supreme Court case known as Janus vs. AFSCME. It is essentially a case debating if public sector unions should be allowed to mandate non-members to still pay something called an "agency fee" since they still benefit from collective bargaining that the union provides. As a deeply committed union member, I think it is important that the agency fee stay in place. It is only fair. That being said, there are others who completely disagree and have started smear campaigns against unions, saying that they "stole" money from them and that they are better off without the union. Unfortunately, that is not true.
So, when teachers in so-called "right-to-work" states (more like "right-to-make-less-money-and-have-fewer-benefits" states) strike due to low salaries and poor working conditions, it means something all the more. By now I hope you have read about all 55 counties of West Virginia going on strike to fight for what they rightly deserve: a decent wage. Teachers in Oklahoma followed suit and are now in their fifth day of walking out. Teachers in Kentucky are as well.
What is obvious to me is that with enough desperation a group can come together to work toward a common goal. But, that also means they need to be motivated to get there and have the leadership in place to follow suit. I applaud the various unions across the country who are working to push for better working conditions and salaries that their members deserve. Workers at Disney are also protesting horrible wages but are unfortunately not getting enough attention.
I'm sorry if I am missing some other major union actions that are not well publicized. I hope that can be added in the comments. But please know that I support strong unions that fight well for their workers rights.
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