Jacksonville, FL – Over 150 trade unionists and activists rallied March 11 in downtown Jacksonville to defend the working class. Beginning at 2 p.m. in Hemming Park, organizers held a militant event focused on building the struggle against national ‘Right to Work’ legislation proposed last month in Washington.

The event also focused on building the fight against other attacks on organized labor and the working class as a whole, such as attempts to privatize public education and cut Social Security and Medicare. The rally to defend the working class was endorsed by several important local trade union organizations and community groups, including the North Florida AFL-CIO Central Labor Council (CLC) and the Women’s March Florida – Jacksonville Chapter. About two-thirds of those who attended the rally were in unions.

Speakers representing unions gave spirited speeches about the need to rebuild a militant rank-and-file working class labor movement, including representatives from the AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Communication Workers of America, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Iron Workers, American Postal Workers Union, International Longshoremen’s Association, United Faculty of Florida, and many others.

The rally included two very special guest speakers: Kimberly Schultz and John Palmer, recently-elected Southern Region vice presidents for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) who ran on the Teamsters United Slate last year with Fred Zuckerman. Zuckerman himself praised the rally the next day at a large Teamsters United meeting in Orlando.

After union leaders delivered their speeches, organizers with the Young Workers of Jacksonville began leading the crowd in chants such as “Working class unity – always leads to victory!” “When workers’ rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, Fight back!” “Banks got bailed out – workers got sold out!” and “Workers party now!” Organizers led the crowd of people onto the streets and on a march all the way down to the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, where several more speakers addressed the crowd about the need to build a strong labor movement.

The rally inspired many to learn more about the rich history of struggle that working people have. Many of the young people in attendance showed a great deal of interest in getting union jobs and fighting for workers’ rights on the shop floor alongside the activism they do in the community, like fighting police crimes.

“Today’s rally is momentous for the working class in Jacksonville,” said Dave Schneider, a rank-and-file Teamster and one of the lead organizers for the event. “We brought together union and non-union workers to fight against national Right to Work legislation and the new employer-led attacks on organized labor. Marching on the Jax Chamber of Commerce with 100 workers was about taking the fight directly to the 1% that rules the city and the entire country. The way forward is uniting workers of all nationalities to resist these attacks, and allying with the movements of the oppressed nations.”

#JacksonvilleFL #rightToWork #NorthFloridaAFLCIOCentralLaborCouncil #WomensMarch

The statement described the events in Kentucky’s state capitol: “Frankfort’s newfound disdain for workers was evident all throughout the week, starting last Wednesday when these laws were first heard in their respective committees. Hundreds of union members and supporters flocked to the state capitol that day. As ‘Right-to-Work’ and the repeal of Prevailing Wage were being heard, Kentucky workers were locked out of the hearings while wealthy men and women from organizations such as Americans For Prosperity, an extremely anti-worker group funded by out-of-state money, were allowed inside. As chants of ‘Let us in!’ and ‘Suits in there, boots out here!’ reverberated through the hallways of the Capital Annex, Governor Bevin further showed his disdain for the workers of this state by being escorted through the crowd to testify in favor of these anti-worker laws.”

The statement points out, “The notion that ‘Right-to-Work’ is about giving workers a choice on whether to be in a union or not is a laughably easy one to debunk. In Kentucky, 11% of jobs are union while 89% are non-union. When a worker goes out looking for a job, no one forces that worker to apply at a unionized shop and no one forces that worker to only select from the 11% union and not the much larger 89% non-union. If a worker chooses to apply for and accept a union job, they are doing so because they chose to. If they weighed union and non-union jobs against one another, and they ultimately chose to work at a unionized job then they did so because it offered greater wages, superior benefits, and unparalleled protection. These are things only possible because of the union contract at that job, and if they choose to accept those benefits as opposed to a non-union job which offers significantly less, then they are choosing to belong to the organization that made those things possible.”

The statement also notes. “To our members, rest assured that Teamsters Local 89 will never be defeated. As has been said many times in the last week, politicians did not create the American Labor Movement, and politicians will not destroy it. The Teamsters union has existed for over a century. We existed three decades before unions were legally recognized in the United States of America, and we will continue to exist long after Governor Bevin and his anti-worker friends are gone and forgotten. Our Local Union is widely known as one of the strongest, most militant in the Commonwealth. The passage of these laws will not change that, and in fact, they will only make us fight that much harder.”

#FrankfortKY #Teamsters #rightToWork #TeamstersLocal89 #FredZuckerman

Milwaukee, WI – One year after the so-called Right to Work law was imposed by the state government on Wisconsin workers, Dane County Judge William Foust overturned it April 8, stating it was unconstitutional.

Under this law, freeloaders in the workplace enjoy all the benefits of union organizing efforts for wages, health care, vacation and sick leave, job protection and retirement benefits without having to pay the dues that help make these things possible, like their coworkers do.

The bill became law last year amidst protests of tens of thousands in Madison, Milwaukee and other cities. Many came to the capitol rotunda to fight the anti-worker legislation in actions reminiscent of those in 2010, when Governor Scott Walker signed a bill into law that imposed extreme restrictions on public sector labor unions. In those whirlwind months, the capitol building was occupied and the state government was paralyzed as Democratic state senators responded to workers’ protests and fled the state to temporarily prevent a vote. That 2010 law, commonly called Act 10, devastated unions of school teachers, municipal workers and other public servants.

25 other states have similar laws that force unions to represent workers who refuse to pay their share of dues. Under intense corporate pressure, no other state’s courts have successfully overturned such a law.

Judge Foust found in his ruling that the forced union representation of freeloaders results in the government taking union funds without fairly compensating them.

The lawsuit was brought on by Machinists Local Lodge 1061 in Milwaukee, the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, and United Steelworkers District 2.

“We applaud the court's decision against the union-busting Right To Work law,” said Sean Orr, President of Milwaukee's United Workers Organization (UWO), “Nevertheless, the fight for workers’ rights and empowerment in the workplace will be won not in the courts, but on the shop floors we work and in the streets in which we live. We in the UWO will continue that fight and urge others to join us.”

The United Workers Organization runs the “Defeat Right to Work in Wisconsin” Facebook page that has been a major outlet for workers news and opinions in the state since the law passed. The page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/defeatrighttowork/?fref=ts

#MilwaukeeWI #MilwauekeeWI #Wisconsin #rightToWork #PublicSectorUnions #UnitedWorkersOrganization #DefeatRightToWorkInWisconsin

Minneapolis, MN – The Supreme Court agreed today, June 30, to hear Friederichs vs. California Teachers Association, which aims to gut public sector unions and would make the public sector ‘right to work’ nationwide. The court will determine whether public sector unions can continue to collect so-called ‘fair share’ or ‘agency fees’ from non-members who benefit from the collective bargaining agreement negotiated by unions, and could overturn the landmark case Abood vs. Detroit Board of Education.

The court will take up the case when they return from recess in the fall, and may rule as early as first quarter of 2016.

After decades of legislative and judicial efforts aimed at weakening private sector unions, the right wing is stepping up its attacks on public sector unions.

Cherrene Horazuk, president of AFSCME 3800 – the clerical workers union at the University of Minnesota, said, “As long as workers have joined together in unions to fight for better wages, working conditions and the ability to work and live in dignity, the bosses have pushed the courts and lawmakers to restrict our rights and find ways to weaken our power.”

Horazuk continued, “Regardless of the outcome of this case, working people and our unions will continue to organize and fight to improve our conditions. Our strength does not come from what the law grants, but from our willingness to organize, to strike and to build solidarity among all workers.”

#MinneapolisMN #AFSCMELocal3800 #rightToWork #publicSectorUnions #CherreneHorazuk

Madison, WI – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed into law a ‘right to work’ measure, March 9, that impacts workers in the private sector. The law is expected to harm trade unions and depress wages.

Workers from across Wisconsin and nearby states participated in several large rallies in Madison opposing the law.

Teamster activist Daniel Ginsberg commented, “Scott Walker is signing away our rights in order to help businesses weaken contracts and lower wages. Thousands of protesters at the capitol disagreed and will continue fighting even after this becomes law.”

Republicans in other states, such as West Virginia, are also pushing right to work measures.

#MadisonWI #GovernorScottWalker #rightToWork

Milwaukee, WI – Dozens of students, faculty and union members gathered at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, March 4, to speak out against the Republican-sponsored 'Right to Work' bill. With the legislation set to be signed by Gov. Walker on March 9, members of Progressive Students of Milwaukee, many who had participated in the protests in Madison, gave another show of solidarity to Wisconsin's private-sector unions.

“Walker wants to bankrupt our unions, just like how he wants to bankrupt our universities. This is an attack on both workers and students!” said Daniel Williams of Progressive Students of Milwaukee.

“If they want to attack unions, they're going to have to come through me first,” said Tanya Schilling, an undergraduate at UWM and Progressive Students of Milwaukee member.

Holding a banner reading, “Defeat Right to Work,” students marched through campus chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, right to work has got to go!” and “What's disgusting? Union-busting!”

#MilwaukeeWI #Labor #PeoplesStruggles #UniversityOfWisconsinMilwaukee #Wisconsin #rightToWork #ProgressiveStudentsOfMilwaukeePSM

Madison, WI – Right to Work passed in the Wisconsin State Assembly along party lines, 62-35, after a 24-hour debate. The bill is on Governor Scott Walker's desk.

The AFL-CIO held another rally, March 5, on the capitol steps as thousands of workers returned to protest.

The State Assembly room turned to chaos as workers shouted down Republicans and were thrown out by police. Another group of people blocked off Governor Walker's office entrance for hours and held a teach-in.

Defeat Right to Work in Wisconsin, a network of workers across Wisconsin that wanted to see an all-out fight, finished off a week of protests by rallying in the capitol.

“Right to Work is Wall Street's attempt to further undermine our collective bargaining, to lower our wages, to weaken our unions and lower the living standards of working people, particularly women and people of color,” commented Teamster activist Daniel Ginsberg. “We will not put up with ‘Right to Work.’ This can only go on for so long.”

#MadisonWI #PeoplesStruggles #Wisconsin #rightToWork #laborRights

Students for a Democratic Society stands with the Progressive Students of Milwaukee in solidarity with the working people of Wisconsin against union-busting “right to work” legislation proposed by the state senate and supported by Governor Scott Walker.

Gov. Walker has consistently worked to dismantle public institutions, like the UW system, and to combat the power of the working class by attacking unions. Four years ago, Gov. Walker pushed through state tax cuts for the wealthy, which created a debt crisis for Wisconsin, while simultaneously proposing to solve the crisis by attacking public sector unions. An attack on the public sector which continues to this day with Gov. Walker’s proposed $300 million cuts to the University of Wisconsin system, a 13 percent cut to the higher education budget. In 2011, tens of thousands of working class people in Wisconsin stood up, occupied the Capitol building, and demanded a recall election to replace Gov. Walker. And he is at it again.

Gov. Walker is now pushing for “Right to Work” legislation, which extends his attacks on the public sector to the whole working class. “Right to work” seeks to undermine the power of organized labor to fight for better wages, benefits and conditions for the working people of Wisconsin by prohibiting unions from collecting mandatory dues from employees. It seeks to bankrupt organized labor across Wisconsin, just as Gov. Walker is seeking to bankrupt and further privatize higher education with his proposed $300 million cut to UW.

Progressive Students of Milwaukee (PSM) member and UW-Milwaukee graduate student, Andrew Carlyle states, “The people who benefit from attacks on unions are the same people who benefit from attacks on public education. When public services are liquidated and the proceeds are given away in the form of tax cuts, it's the capitalist class that benefits. When unions are crushed and workers lose their voice, it's the capitalist class that benefits. As students and as working people, we need to unite to fight back against the class war that is being waged against us.”

Students for a Democratic Society stands with the Progressive Students of Milwaukee in calling for an alliance between students and workers to stand together against attacks on unions and education. With this alliance, SDS and PSM believe we can stop these attacks and win victories for organized labor in Wisconsin and for students across the state.

#Wisconsin #WI #rightToWork

Madison, WI – Thousands of union members and their supporters converged on the Wisconsin state capitol building, Feb. 28, to oppose a Republican-sponsored ‘Right to Work’ measure that aims at undermining labor unions in the private sector. The rally was organized by the AFL-CI0.

Speaking to the crowd, Bill Carroll, president of Teamsters Local 344, said, “This Right to Work legislation is designed so we die a death of 1000 cuts, one scab at a time.”

The capitol steps and lawn were a sea of union signs and banners.

After the rally, several thousand protesters ignored police and took the streets, marching around the Capitol square, their chants echoing off surrounding buildings. Many then marched inside to the capitol rotunda.

Earlier in the day, about 400 union members and their backers rallied at Library Mall and then marched up State Street, chanting “What's disgusting? Union busting!” and “What's outrageous? Poverty wages!” as they joined the AFL-CIO rally. The enthusiastic protest was organized by Defeat “Right to Work” in Wisconsin, a grassroots group of rank-and-file union members.

Speaking on Library Mall before the march, Jorge Maya of Youth Empowered in the Struggle at UW-Milwaukee described the attack on unions as a part of a broader attack on Wisconsin's working class.

​”Workers are suffering, students are suffering, immigrants are suffering,” he said.

Cherrene Horazuk, president of AFSCME Local 3800, the union of clerical workers at the University of Minnesota, stressed the importance of solidarity, telling rally participants that there was nowhere else that she would rather be than standing with Wisconsin workers.

Union members will be back at the capitol, Monday, March 2, when the Assembly labor committee takes up the Right to Work law, and again on Thursday, March 5, when the assembly is expected to vote on the measure.

For its part, Defeat “Right to Work” in Wisconsin has vowed to continue building action to oppose union busting in Wisconsin.

#MadisonWI #Wisconsin #rightToWork

Madison, WI – A group of workers calling themselves “ Defeat Right to Work in Wisconsin” have issued this statement:

Governor Walker compares us – union families – to ISIS. March with us Feb. 28, starting at 10:30am from Library Square Mall (728 State Street, Madison, WI) to the large AFL-CIO rally at the state Capitol. We're condemning this attack on workers and asking for an all-out fight from our union leadership.

On Monday, Feb. 23, Defeat Right to Work in Wisconsin rallied several hundred union members and supporters in downtown Milwaukee and have been protesting at the state Capitol.

This protest will march up State Street to the Capitol with a loud message that it's time for workers to fight back.

#MadisonWI #PeoplesStruggles #Wisconsin #rightToWork

Madison, WI – Thousand rallied, Feb. 25, on the steps of the Wisconsin Capitol. Hours later, hundreds chanted “Kill the bill” in the capitol rotunda while hanging banners and homemade signs. Later, dozens were ejected from the senate hearing room for shouting down Republican politicians trying to fast track the anti-worker law.

Right to Work passed the senate later in the evening, 17-15, with one Republican turning back. The bill is now in the State Assembly, with a hearing to be scheduled early next week.

In a firey speech, Phil Gruber, Midwest territory general vice president for the Machinists Union, called for more action.

“It’s time we take action in this country,” he said. “The only way we’re going to stop the right-to-work laws is to stand still. I think it’s about time that we stop the production in this country.”

Will Guenthner, a UW-Milwaukee student who was ejected from the senate hearing room, said he felt like his fellow students were getting robbed by the recent cuts to the UW school system and saw the workers getting robbed by this bill. “Robbed. That's the word that keeps coming to mind. Walker's entire career as governor has felt like one huge heist. So today, as a student, I stood in support of working people , because we are no different and the robbery will only continue.”

The AFL-CIO has announced another large march this Saturday, Feb. 28, at the state capitol at noon.

A group of rank-and-file workers are calling themselves Defeat Right to Work in Wisconsin and have created a Facebook site. Check out @DefeatRTW to follow the protest movement.

#MadisonWI #GovernorScottWalker #rightToWork

Madison, WI – Republicans pushed ‘Right to Work’ through the Senate labor committee, Feb. 24, and the bill will move to the Senate floor for debate Feb. 25.

After an afternoon protest, people filled the Senate labor committee hearing room and two overflow hearing rooms while others kept a presence in the rest of the building.

Working people of Wisconsin drove as long as six hours to give testimony against the bill. After six and a half hours of public testimony the Republican chair of the committee said there was a credible threat of the proceedings being interrupted and immediately moved for a vote.

“Thousands of people came to the Capitol to have their voice heard and oppose the so-called Right to Work legislation. Rather than hear their voices, Republicans chose to try to silence them. Those who refuse to be silent will rally at the Capitol tomorrow and the days to come,” said Kas Schwerdtfeger, a rank-and-file Teamster.

Protesters filled the hallways chanting and tried to get into the meeting room as Republicans snuck out. After moving to the closed off Senate chambers, the committee voted along party lines to pass the bill.

Another protest is planned for Feb. 25, while the Senate is expected to start their debate in the early afternoon. The Assembly is expected to take up this issue early next week.

#MadisonWI #PeoplesStruggles #Wisconsin #rightToWork

Madison, WI – Thousands of people spent the day rallying against so-called ‘Right to Work’ legislation, Feb. 24. The anti-worker law could pass the legislature as early as next week.

Workers flooded the inside Capitol rotunda in a scene reminiscent of 2011, when tens of thousands of workers surrounded and occupied the state Capitol to fight a union-busting bill aimed against public sector workers.

“I'm really happy people are fighting back against this latest attack. We just saw dramatic cuts to our education system and an awful budget for working people. We need to fight,” commented Tracey Pollock, who drove down from Milwaukee to join the protest.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, another rally is scheduled in front of the state Capitol tomorrow, Feb. 25, at noon.

#MadisonWI #PeoplesStruggles #Wisconsin #rightToWork

A rank-and-file labor mobilization has been in full force since Wisconsin Republicans announced Feb. 20 they would call a special legislative session to fast-track a Right to Work bill.

The Feb. 23 rally included speakers from AFSCME, the United Steel Workers (USW), United Auto Workers (UAW), Progressive Students of Milwaukee, Coalition for Justice, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA), Voces de la Frontera, Teamsters and Wisconsin Jobs Now.

“We stand with our brothers and sisters in private industry to defeat this right to work for less law,” said Bob Peterson, president of MTEA. “Governor Walker, let’s get one thing clear, you may have won a few short battles but we will win the war for the future of this state.”

Protesters then took the streets chanting, “Union power!” and “What's disgusting? Union busting!” and shutting down major streets in downtown Milwaukee.

This was the first rally in what will be a week of protests led by the working people of Wisconsin. Rallies have been called for Feb. 24 and 25 by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO in Madison at the Capitol Building.

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #Wisconsin #rightToWork

Milwaukee, WI – More than 300 union members and their supporters took to the streets here, Feb. 23, to protest an attempt by Republicans to push through ‘right to work’ legislation in the Wisconsin legislature.

The protest was sponsored by Defeat RTW in WI, AFSCME District Council 48, Occupy Milwaukee, Voces de la Frontera, Youth Empowered in the Struggle, Progressive Students of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Bail Out The People Movement, Greater Milwaukee Green Party, Bring Back the Fight, Fight Back! news, AFSCME 82 and Wisconsin Jobs Now.

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #GovernorScottWalker #Wisconsin #rightToWork

Milwaukee, WI – More than 300 union members and their supporters took to the streets here, Feb. 23, to protest an attempt by Republicans to push through ‘right to work’ legislation in the Wisconsin legislature.

The protest was sponsored by Defeat RTW in WI, AFSCME District Council 48, Occupy Milwaukee, Voces de la Frontera, Youth Empowered in the Struggle, Progressive Students of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Bail Out The People Movement, Greater Milwaukee Green Party, Bring Back the Fight, Fight Back! news, AFSCME 82 and Wisconsin Jobs Now.

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #Wisconsin #rightToWork

Coined ‘Right to Work (for Less)’ by labor organizations, this bill would make Wisconsin the 25th state to allow workers in union workplaces to opt out of paying union dues.

“Unions are groups of workers uniting together to have voice in the workplace, to win respect and dignity and better wages,” commented Daniel Ginsberg, a Teamster activist. “Business owners are pursuing Right to Work to undermine the strength of our unions. Anyone who despises corporate greed needs to get out in the streets this upcoming week.”

A rally is planned in downtown Milwaukee Monday, Feb. 23, 5pm at Zeidler Union Square, 348 W Everett St.

A Madison rally will be held to protest the introduction of Right to Work legislation on Tuesday, Feb. 24 and Wednesday, Feb. 25 at noon at the State Street side of the state Capitol.

In addition, contact your legislators to voice opposition to Right to Work using the legislative hotline: 1-800-362-9472, Sign the petition to stop Right to Work in Wisconsin, and ‘like’ the Defeat Right to Work in Wisconsin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/defeatrighttowork

Republicans are trying to ram through Right to Work as fast as possible to undermine our ability to fight back. It's time to take immediate action.

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #rightToWork

Milwaukee, WI – Plans to introduce so-called ‘Right to Work’ legislation are threatening to make Wisconsin the 25th state to eliminate all union contracts with mandatory dues as part of employment. Right to Work laws, now covering 24 states, particularly in the South but even in relative union strongholds like Michigan, weaken workers’ rights to collectively bargain, leading to inferior contracts and lower rates of unionization.

The powerful billionaires and multi-millionaires pushing this anti-worker legislation have been bolstered by their success in 2011, when big business, Governor Scott Walker and Republican politicians pushed through Act 10, a version of Right to Work for public sector workers in Wisconsin. At the time, Wisconsin workers stepped into the national spotlight, waging an intense struggle to resist right to work and to preserve our unions. Teachers called in sick, students walked out and tens of thousands of workers and their supports occupied and surrounded the state capitol building, delaying the passage of the bill and energizing workers around the country.

“We’re suffering from Act 10 but the fight is still within us, we must do everything we can to defeat Right to Work in Wisconsin,” commented Gilbert Johnson, vice president of AFSCME 82.

Many workers are ready to fight Right to Work because Right to Work is not about democracy or choice, it’s an attack from big businesses on the organizations of working people that bargain for better wages and respect. Right to Work means banning what’s called a “union security clause” from all union and employer contracts. Almost all private sector unions in Wisconsin currently bargain into their contracts such clauses which allow the union to collect dues from all the workers it represents.

Business owners will find any way they can to undermine the effectiveness of workers’ right to collectively bargain, and making the argument that individual workers have ‘rights’ that are opposed to the collective vote of the members is a way to undermine collective bargaining and deliver weaker contracts.

Workers of these industries know that business owners don’t care about democracy or choice at all. Unions will have fewer resources and workplaces will become divided. Unions will be under pressure to accept concessions for extended contracts.

The same argument about choice was made in the 1940s by Southern segregationists, some whom were the original promoters of Right to Work, who saw racist discrimination as a choice and a ‘right’ of the employers and property owners and who saw unions as a threat.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right to work.’ It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights. Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone.”

Right to Work legislation could be passed as early as April. Workers in Wisconsin will have to do everything they can to fight back, from taking the struggle to the state capitol back to the workplaces. Reliance on the courts and politicians isn’t enough. The fight against Right to Work can help build a fighting workers movement.

#MilwaukeeWI #rightToWork

Later this year, the United Auto Workers (UAW) will feel the effects of the law as the contracts with big car-producing companies expire.

‘Right to work’ says workers are not required to belong to the union at a unionized work place, despite the votes and decisions of the majority. It creates a division amongst the workers and weakens their ability to act in concert for good contracts and to enforce safety work rules, fairness and equality.

In 2013, there were 3.9 million employed workers in Michigan, of whom 633,000 were union members. Now in 2014, there are 4 million employed workers of whom 585,000 are union members. The number of employed workers in Michigan increased by 139,000 overall, while the number of union members decreased by 48,000, hurting the unionization rate even more.

The statistics show that a higher percentage of workers covered by union contracts stopped paying their dues. These ‘free riders’ benefit from the union contract that their co-workers negotiate and pay for.

Michigan Republicans also stripped teachers of the ability to pay their union dues via direct deposit with their employer. Government workers know it as dues check-off and, despite its popularity, Republicans passed a law denying this basic right to teachers.

Across Lake Michigan, in the state of Wisconsin, Republicans are threatening a similar law and union members are beginning to mobilize to fight it. Jacob Flom is the creator of a Facebook page “Defeat Right To Work in Wisconsin” (https://www.facebook.com/defeatrighttowork?ref=br_tf )that says “We are rank-and -file union members and Wisconsin residents who want to keep our state union strong. Fight Governor Walker's union busting agenda with mass protest!”

Unions are based on workers joining together to act as one in relationship to their bosses and owners. Union contracts provide millions of workers around the world with higher wages, better health care, sick time off, vacations and a chance to defend themselves from arbitrary discipline and firing. Union members like nurses and health care workers can enforce health and safety rules for themselves and the public they serve.

Republicans plan to finish off unions, attacking and outlawing them state by state. The Democratic Party stands idle, feigning surprise. Judges rulings in U.S. courts are threatening to do away with public sector unions over the next five years as well.

Union members in the U.S. tend to live better lives than non-union workers and command more respect from their bosses. Bureau of Labor Statistics show median income for a union worker in 2014 was $970 per week, while non-union was $763.

#GrandRapidsMI #rightToWork #Michigan #laborRights #laborUnions

The case was petitioned to the Supreme Court by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (NRTW), a right-wing anti-union group.  Harris v. Quinn narrowly looks at whether or not home care workers in the state of Illinois are public employees with the right to unionize. Illinois law allows home care workers to unionize, though in the case in question, the workers actually voted against having any union representation. Despite that, the NRTW appealed the case to the Supreme Court, seizing an opportunity to push the highest court to issue a sweeping ruling that would ensure no future unionization opportunities.

The NRTW is not content to have the court rule only on home care representation. They argued that it is unconstitutional for public sector unions to have exclusive representation rights and the ability to collect fair share fees for any public workers, even when the dues are used only for collective bargaining purposes. In essence, they want to turn every state into a ‘right to work’ state for public employees.

The questions posed by the most right-wing members of the Supreme Court made clear that they are salivating at the opportunity to strip the right to unionize from all public workers. A number of commentators have speculated that conservative Justice Antonin Scalia may end up the voice of ‘reason’ on this case. Though Scalia can in no way be considered a friend of labor, many speculate that he is less likely than the other conservatives on the court to reject 40 years of legal precedent recognizing the rights of public workers to unionize. Justice Scalia is also unlikely to want to restrict states’ rights to set their own laws. Union officials are counting on Justice Scalia to be the swing vote ruling in their favor on this case. A decision is expected later this year.

Harris v. Quinn is just the most recent in a series of court cases aimed at breaking unions. It is part of a concerted effort carried out in the courts, state legislatures and federal government to attack workers and defund unions (both public and private sector) by taking away a union’s ability to collect dues. These anti-union efforts have succeeded in Wisconsin, where public sector unions have lost at least 40% of their dues-paying membership since Governor Scott Walker succeeded in destroying collective bargaining for public employees. In Michigan, home of important sit-down strikes, ‘right to work’ is now the law.

Working people and the unions who represent us cannot rely on ‘moderate’ conservatives and narrow legal arguments to protect us. In fact, the law has been established to limit the effectiveness of union organizing and the Supreme Court has ruled time and again to strip us of our rights.

The more effective a strategy is, the more likely it is to be deemed illegal. Sit-down strike, where strikers occupy their worksite, thus preventing the company from bringing in scabs (‘replacement workers’) or finding other means to continue production, are a good example. This tactic was ruled illegal by the National Labor Relations Board after waves of sit-down strikes in the late 1930s led to significant gains for workers. The legality of the sit-down strike made it to the Supreme Court, which they ruled on Feb. 27, 1939, in the case of NLRB v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corporation, that sit-down-strikes were essentially illegal. The court ruled that workers who violated the law, regardless of whether that violation was provoked by a violation of the company, did not have to be reinstated. In other words, any worker who broke the law during a strike could be fired, no matter what.

As Joe Burns, labor lawyer and author of the book Reviving the Strike, states, “We cannot understand or overcome the weakness of the modern labor movement without addressing the role of the judiciary in suppressing labor rights. A century ago the labor movement had a crystal clear understanding of the role of the United States Supreme Court. From the early 1900s into the 1930s, labor activists railed against not just unfavorable labor law decisions but against the very idea that judges should be allowed to intervene in labor matters. From conservative AFL officials to radical unionists, labor activists understood that courts were engaged in judge-made labor law.”

As case after case is pushed to the Supreme Court by groups like the National Right to Work Foundation, labor activists must once again challenge the idea that judges can be trusted to determine labor policy. We must also challenge people to understand that if the laws are put in place to weaken our movement, those laws need to be broken.

The greatest upsurges in labor – the private sector in the 1930s and the public sector in the 1960s – were the result of hundreds of thousands of working people rising up and defying labor laws that were created to prevent us from winning. If we are to rebuild a strong movement of working people, we need to reclaim the tools of our historic successes, and not count on the courts to grant us the permission to use them.

Cherrene Horazuk is President of AFSCME 3800 which represents clerical workers at the University of Minnesota.

#MinneapolisMN #unionBusting #SupremeCourt #rightToWork #PublicSectorUnions #HarrisVQuinn