Workday Magazine (https://workdaymagazine.org/author/filiberto/page/51/)
2nd Update: Reports from West Virginia indicate that the strike continues, despite announcements that it would end Thursday.
As the West Virginia teachers strike enters its 4th school day we take a step back to try and understand the broader context.
The Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME highlights the battle against working people by the wealthy. It has also become an opportunity for unions to forcefully express their unique role defending the interests of working people.
Working people filled the Capitol rotunda in St. Paul today, celebrating their freedom to join together for a voice on the job and pledging to fight corporate attacks with urgency and solidarity.
Protests against gun violence are sweeping across the country. Legislators and President Trump are slow to respond. In Florida, while teachers are now expected to protect students, the unions that protect them are being targeted.
ST. PAUL – By all accounts, the U.S. economy is recovering from the “Great Recession” of nine years ago and Minnesota is leading the way in job growth. But not all people are benefitting – and that is where the state’s Dislocated Worker Program steps in. “We are constantly being notified of layoffs” despite the economic recovery, said Liz McLoone, the program’s liaison with organized labor. The reasons, she said, are many: Certain industries, like mining, have suffered layoffs and plant closings.
On February 24 all over the country, it is expected that thousands of working people and allies will, “stand up for our freedom to come together in strong unions and fight.”
Organizations like CTUL play a critical role in defending the rights of workers. CTUL is hosting a “Pancake Brunch” fundraiser to sustain and expand their work.
The four leading DFL candidates for governor made their pitch to union activists from across Minnesota today at a forum in St. Paul, promising to support working people and their organizations if elected. State Reps. Erin Murphy and Tina Liebling, U.S. Rep. Tim Walz and State Auditor Rebecca Otto were united in their opposition to right-to-work legislation and support for union organizing and collective bargaining. [Watch the full debate on the Minnesota AFL-CIO’s Facebook page.]
Bargaining rights and professional standards would be off the table in Capitol negotiations with Republicans under her administration, Murphy said.
Tuesday night Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59 organized a protest at the Minneapolis Public Schools board meeting to draw attention to delays in bargaining.
With the ratified Lunds & Byerlys contract 2018 promises to be a year rooted in increased benefits for grocery store workers all over Minneapolis and western suburbs.