The Koch brothers, the DeVos family and other wealthy, anti-union corporate interests will use the Supreme Court to try to take away your voice and your union.
Feb. 26 is when the Supreme Court case called Janus v. AFSCME is being heard. Through this case, these wealthy funders seek to defund and destabilize unions and make it harder for us to speak up for our students, patients, families and communities.
Strong unions mean stronger communities, and workers need and want strong unions. That’s why on Saturday, Feb. 24, we’re standing together for a Working People’s Day of Action.
Our union is our vehicle to fight for a better life for people, and, unfortunately, the funders of the Janus case see that as a threat to their power.
That’s why the Koch brothers and their allies committed $80 million to “defund and defang” unions last year. And then they used their massive tax breaks to increase that spending to $400 million to “break” teachers unions and go after public education and public services. The same wealthy forces that are attacking our unions are the ones trying to defund and destabilize public education and erode and suppress the right to vote. They are targeting every vehicle we have to enable opportunity and voice for working people and kids.
They may have gazillions of dollars, but we have people. And when they know the real deal, our communities support us.
As a union, we care, we fight and we show up. The reason we became teachers, nurses and health professionals, and public service employees is because we care for others—for the students, patients and public we serve. We fight for great public schools; for economic opportunity and security; for healthcare, so nobody has to be one illness away from bankruptcy; and for a secure retirement. We fight for our democracy and for a society that is safe, welcoming and sane—and that means fighting against hatred and bigotry in all forms. We fight for jobs, justice and freedom for all.
On Saturday, Feb. 24, solidarity is important. We’ll be standing with other unions, our community allies and others to show that we’re stronger together and that no billionaire-backed scheme is going to tear us apart.
In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President
P.S. There’s a great video on Facebook about the Janus case. This teacher explains why her union matters. Be sure to watch and share it.
Randi Weingarten
AFT President
P.S. There’s a great video on Facebook about the Janus case. This teacher explains why her union matters. Be sure to watch and share it.
No comments:
Post a Comment