Contact:
Andrew Crook (AFT) 607-280-6603
Marianne von Nordeck (AFSCME) 202-812-0091
Sara Lonardo (SEIU) 202-412-2153
Staci Maiers (NEA) 202-270-5333
America Needs Unions Now More than Ever As Supreme Court Sides with Corporate Billionaires Rigging Economy against Workers
On heels of high profile walkouts, new organizing and spiking approval for unions, union leaders see decision as rallying point to unrig economy and put workers first
WASHINGTON – The following statement was issued by leaders and members of AFSCME, AFT, NEA and SEIU following the decision by the United States Supreme Court to rule against working people and in favor of billionaire CEOs and corporate interests in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31, holding that requiring fair-share fees in the public sector violates the First Amendment of the Constitution.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY at Noon Eastern with public service union presidents and members to discuss the decision. RSVP to mailto:andrew@feldmanstrategies.com for dial in information. Follow #UNION today.
As millions of American workers recommit to their unions and launch new organizing drives and as support for labor unions has risen to its highest level in years, it is shameful that the billionaire CEOs and corporate special interests behind this case have succeeded in manipulating the highest court in the land to do their bidding. This case was nothing more than a blatant political attack to further rig our economy and democracy against everyday Americans in favor of the wealthy and powerful.
Public service workers—teachers, social workers, firefighters, 911 operators—are more determined than ever to stick together in their unions. Unions remain the most effective vehicle for the power in numbers working people need to secure their rights and freedoms, and provide a pathway to the middle class. We will remain a strong and vibrant force for working people, and will continue fighting to sustain our families, improve our workplaces and to make our communities stronger regardless of the court’s ruling.
Today’s decision sends our economy in the wrong direction. But it is also a rallying point. We call on elected leaders and candidates to do everything in their power to make it easier to unite in unions and build more power for all working people.
Union leader and member responses:
“Unions will always be the most effective force and vehicle to propel working people into the middle class. Despite this unprecedented and nefarious political attack – designed to further rig the rules against working people -- nothing changes the fact that America needs unions now more than ever. We are more resolved than ever to fight like hell to win for our members and the communities they care so much about. AFSCME members don’t do this work to get rich. They do it because it’s a calling -- and for that service, they deserve respect. They deserve the same freedoms as the CEOs and billionaires who continue to rig the rules against everyone else. The American labor movement lives on, and we’re going to be there every day, fighting hard for all working people, our freedoms and for our country.” - Lee Saunders, President, AFSCME
“No court case, win or lose, could ever change how important my work and service is to me and the community I care about. My union gives me the strength, freedom and the tools I need to help people and to provide for my family. That’s why I’ll always stick with my coworkers, no matter what. We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing: organizing and talking to coworkers and community members, building power for working people.” - Stephen Mittons, AFSCME Council 31 member, Child Protection Investigator for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
“Don’t count us out. While today the thirst for power trumped the aspirations and needs of communities and the people who serve them, workers are sticking with the union because unions are still the best vehicle working people have to get ahead.
“Strong unions create strong communities. We will continue fighting, caring, showing up and voting, to make possible what is impossible for individuals acting alone. The teacher walkouts this spring, with educators fighting for the funding children need, were an example of how we will continue to make that case—in the halls of statehouses and the court of public opinion, in our workplaces and communities, and at the ballot box in November—through organizing, activism and members recommitting to their union.
“This is a dark day in U.S. jurisprudence. Swung by a Trump-appointed justice with a long history of ruling for the wealthy and corporations over regular people, the Supreme Court overturned a 40-year unanimously decided precedent that has given teachers and firefighters, nurses and cops, a path to a better life for themselves and their communities.
“More than forty years ago, the court recognized that collective bargaining for teachers and other public sector workers benefits those workers, their employers and their communities. Union representation, if chosen by a majority, is the glue that holds us together. That wisdom has now been abandoned by the slimmest majority.
“The dissenting justices saw this case for what it really was—a warping and weaponizing of the First Amendment, absent any evidence or reason, to hurt working people. Not only was Abood well within the mainstream of First Amendment law, it has been affirmed six times and applied to other cases upholding bar fees for lawyers and student activity fees at public colleges.” -Randi Weingarten, President, AFT
“Regardless of the Supreme Court ruling, the teachers in our district will stick together to make sure we have a say in the future of our kids. We are a small union in a rural and conservative part of Ohio. But nearly all of the teachers in our district are full dues-paying members—because we know that teachers’ ability to create a safe learning environment for kids and make teaching a viable profession comes directly from being part of a strong union.” - Holly Kimpon, a high school biology and anatomy teacher, AFT member and president of the Genoa Area Education Association in Ohio
“Today’s radical decision by the Supreme Court is a blatant slap in the face for educators, nurses, firefighters, police officers and all public servants who make our communities strong and safe. We are living in a system that is rigged to benefit special interests and billionaires, all at the expense of working people. Those behind this case know that unions amplify workers’ voices and transform their words into powerful and collective action. Even though the Supreme Court sided with corporate CEOs and billionaires over working Americans, unions will continue to be the best vehicle on the path to the middle class.” - Lily Eskelsen García, President, National Education Association (NEA)
“Fine arts programs were being cut from my school and students were missing out on subjects like arts and music. My union negotiated with the district to bring back music so our students could have a well-rounded curriculum. When some school principals tried to renege on the agreement, as a union, we stepped up. Educators came together through our union and spoke out for what our kids need. Strong unions build strong schools and strong communities. We need unions now more than ever.” - Alex Price, band director and instrumental music teacher, Belmont High School and Wright Brothers Middle School in Dayton, Ohio
“This decision is yet another example of how billionaires rig the system against working people, but SEIU members won’t let the extremists behind this case divide us. We will stay united, help workers
who are fighting to form unions, and call on our elected leaders to do everything in their power to make it easier for working people to join together in unions.” - Mary Kay Henry, President, SEIU
“My coworkers and I are not going to let this court decision stop us from sticking together in our union. We know that we are stronger together, and that matters when we are working to ensure our community is resilient when faced with disasters like earthquakes or floods. We won’t let any court case, billionaire, or propaganda campaign divide us.” - Sara Campos, Department of Human Services, SEIU Local 503 in Salem, Oregon
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Workers remain united despite Supreme Court decision
Workers remain united despite Supreme Court decision
ST. PAUL – The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned four decades of precedent and
sound law, making it harder for working people to join together in strong unions to build better
lives for families and communities.
The 5-4 decision in the Janus v. AFSCME case now allows public sector employees to enjoy the
beneits of a negotiated contract without paying for it.
Janus is the culmination of decades of attacks on working people by corporations and the
wealthy to rig the economy in their favor. Despite their efforts, workers will continue to work in
union to make our children smarter, care for our family members and make sure our
communities are safe every day.
The following statements are from leaders of the Public Sector Union Alliance:
Bill McCarthy, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO: “No court decision will ever stop working
people from joining together in union to negotiate a fair return on their work. No matter how
many roadblocks corporate special interests put in our path, our state’s labor movement will
continue to ght for working Minnesotans’ freedom to prosper.”
Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota: “Neither this ruling nor the right-wing groups
that will weaponize it, will silence the voices of Minnesota’s professional educators. We will still
stand for effective and welcoming schools for our students, proud and healthy communities for
their parents, and salaries and bene ts that will sustain the families of Minnesota educators.
Kelly Gibbons, executive director of SEIU Local 284: “Minnesotans want a state where working
families are able to come together and win better lives for our families. No corporate-backed
attacks or court rulings are going to stop the school employees and healthcare workers of SEIU
from fighting so every person in our state is able to live safe, secure and healthy lives. We know
that sticking together in our unions is the only way to make these values a reality.”
Chet Jorgenson, president of Minnesota Association of Professional Employees: “Unions are
how we unite to build better lives together. Today’s ruling will not stop MAPE from fighting for
the values all Minnesota workers share: equitable wages, affordable health care, time to be with
new babies and ill family members who need us, manageable student debt and a secure
retirement.”
Brian Aldes, secretary treasurer of Teamsters Local 320: “The Teamsters union has faced stiff
adversity from anti-union forces since its inception over 100 years ago and we have always
persevered. We have seen the war on workers intensify in the last several years, but working
people will not be deterred, will not be intimidated and will not be silenced. We will move
forward and unite because workers, students and communities need us to be strong.”
James Pointer, President of Middle Management Association: “The ruling is lacking foresight
and will have a significant financial impact on unions. However, it will not prevent us from
continuing the important work we do, which is representing members, advocating for fair
wages, and offering a community of support for our supervisors.”
Mary C. Turner, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association: “This ruling is an attempt to
silence working people’s voices, but nothing can stop nurses from standing up for patients in our
hospitals and other facilities, and in our communities. Nurses will continue to advocate for
quality patient care in the public and private sectors. We will not let this ruling enable hospitals
to cut corners to increase their bottom lines at the expense of patients’ health by reducing
staffing levels or investing in life-saving equipment.”
Jim Grabowska, president of the Inter Faculty Organization: “The Trump administration and the
Supreme Court have proven they will stop at nothing to diminish the power of working people in
our communities. The corporate special interests behind this case are drastically underestimating working people’s resiliency and determination. Our union takes great pride in helping provide opportunities for students around our state to receive an affordable, worldclass education, with highly qualified faculty. We will continue our mission and this ruling will only strengthen our resolve to advance the needs of our students, our colleagues, and our communities.”
The Public Sector Union Alliance is a group of unions representing public employees across Minnesota working together to help fight off the attacks against organized labor and working families. Members include AFSCME Council 5, AFSCME Council 65, MAPE, Education Minnesota, Inter Faculty Organization, Middle Management Association, Minnesota AFL-CIO, Minnesota Government Engineers Council, Minnesota Nurses Association, Minnesota School Employees Association, SEIU Healthcare, SEIU 284, Teamsters 320.
Contacts:
Megan Boldt (megan.boldt@edmn.org)
Education Minnesota Cell: 651-245-9163
Josh Keller (jkeller@seiumn.org)
SEIU Minnesota State Council Cell: 612-270-2984
Monday, June 25, 2018
AFT President Randi Weingarten on Proposal to Merge Education and Labor Departments
For Immediate Release
June 21, 2018
Contact:
Marcus Mrowka
202-531-0689
mmrowka@aft.org
www.aft.org
AFT President Randi Weingarten on Proposal to Merge Education and Labor Departments
WASHINGTON—Statement of AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Trump administration’s plan to merge the departments of Education and Labor:
“In any normal administration, combining some of the core functions of the education and labor departments might make sense in terms of bringing together programs that educate children and prepare Americans for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Having workforce development—also known as adult education—in one department, and K-12, career and technical education, and college education in another, may not have made sense. But there is nothing normal about this administration, so we’re extremely skeptical of the motivations here given how hostile Betsy DeVos and President Trump have been to public education, workers and unions. It seems like this move is just cover for continuing their agenda to go after public schools, gut civil rights and equity protections, provide support for predatory student loan companies and prey on workers. We strongly oppose this move, and Congress should reject it.”
June 21, 2018
Contact:
Marcus Mrowka
202-531-0689
mmrowka@aft.org
www.aft.org
AFT President Randi Weingarten on Proposal to Merge Education and Labor Departments
WASHINGTON—Statement of AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Trump administration’s plan to merge the departments of Education and Labor:
“In any normal administration, combining some of the core functions of the education and labor departments might make sense in terms of bringing together programs that educate children and prepare Americans for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Having workforce development—also known as adult education—in one department, and K-12, career and technical education, and college education in another, may not have made sense. But there is nothing normal about this administration, so we’re extremely skeptical of the motivations here given how hostile Betsy DeVos and President Trump have been to public education, workers and unions. It seems like this move is just cover for continuing their agenda to go after public schools, gut civil rights and equity protections, provide support for predatory student loan companies and prey on workers. We strongly oppose this move, and Congress should reject it.”
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
June 18 edition, Pension Issues in the News
JUNE 18, 2018
MINNESOTA NEWS + OPINION
SW
News Media
It's
expected to save Minnesota
taxpayers $57 million in fiscal year 2019 and $263 million in the next
biennium. Minnesota's unfunded public pension ...
ECM Publishers
Stoffel says that
this year's compromises move Minnesota from covering 52 percent of what is
needed to cover public pensions over the next 30 years, ...
The
Lake Country Echo
The
Legislature, with a new
governor, will have to take up tax conformity as a priority ... However, Ruud
was pleased with legislators passing a pension
bill - which the ... John Vessey, a Minnesota
native who passed away in 2016.
Post-Bulletin
Pensions and
retirement benefits are earned by employees, whether public or private. They're
not charitable contributions -- they're part of an ...
Minnesota Lawyer
Mark Dayton signed
a pension stabilization bill for state employees, eliminating $3.4 billion in
unfunded liabilities for public-employee pensions.
East Side Review
The bill
represents a shared-sacrifice approach to ensure the long-term stability of
public pensions. The compromise bill reduces cost-of-living ...
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Improving the
solvency of public employee pension funds isn't the sort of legislative
accomplishment that typically packs the Minnesota Capitol ...
Mankato
Free Press
The pension systems affects some 500,000 public employees across the state and
the plans going forward will allow them to breathe more easily.
Workday Minnesota
Today, Dayton
signed a bipartisan bill to stabilize pension funds covering more than 500,000
public-sector workers, the last item of unfinished ...
Southernminn.com
The bipartisan
agreement stabilizing pensions for 511,000 teachers, law enforcement ... We
care deeply about our state and we want others to succeed. ... It is clear that
we need to do more to support working families in Minnesota.
NATIONAL NEWS + OPINION
The
Providence Journal
There
are 36 pension bills in the wings, along with the SEIU's latest
expansion bid and a bill to remove decades of court records from public
view.
Seattle Times
A new study finds
that some public pension funds are in such bad shape that they might be totally
depleted during an economic downturn ...
Investor Village
Imagery's Review
of Pew Trust Funded Harvard “Assessing the Risk of Fiscal Distress for Public
Pensions: State Stress Test Analysis” by Greg Mennis, ...
The Denver Post
Our state is no
stranger to drought and the Public Employees' Retirement Association pension
system was drying up the future of our retirees and ...
New Haven Independent
Christopher Peak
Photo At an emergency meeting, representatives from several public employee
unions tried to stop an imminent raid on their ...
American City & County
Nearly 1,300 more
public employees than expected chose to retire during ... She adds that the
trend to stingier pensions and retirement packages is ...
Grand Forks Herald
"Every one of
us is making a decision on retirement every day, in the way we live ... Assets
include pensions/annuities, Social Security, investments, and .... asked Mark
Feinsot, a 72-year-old certified public accountant in Manhattan.
Forbes
Americans are
living longer and that may not be good news for those states facing large
unfunded pension liabilities. Adding years to the average life ...
Nasdaq
I am referring to
the impending public employee pension crisis that is currently gathering steam
in states and municipalities across the country. While it ...
Bowling Green Daily News
Beshear doesn't
want Kentuckians to know about the positive things SB 151 does to help ensure
public pensions remain viable. For example:.
Motley Fool
Pensions have been
around for quite a while, starting with public-sector jobs, and today it's
mainly public-sector jobs that still offer pensions (more on ...
Los Angeles Times
Gray Davis opened
the vault for state workers' pension plans in 1999. ... For all state and local
public pensions systems, the unfunded liabilities are at ...
New Haven Independent
Pension Fund
Raided To Plug $14M Budget Deficit .... which are set by actuaries hired by the
city to review its public pensions and which work ...
LA School Report
More than 900,000
current and former public school teachers are covered by the California State
Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS).
Pensions & Investments
I read with
interest the editorial calling for a pension commission ("Pension reform
panel sorely needed," P&I, May 14). Because I like what
Australia ...
Yankee Institute (blog)
As part of the
concessions package, however, employees saw increased contributions toward
their pensions and moderate adjustments to healthcare ...
Hunt Scanlon Media (press
release)
Before that, she
worked for the Joint Committee on Public Employee Retirement for 16 years,
including the last six as executive director. “I am honored ...
Economic Policy Institute
A few years ago,
the Wall Street Journal praised San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed for taking an axe to
police and other public employee pensions.
Motley Fool
However,
public-sector pensions often call for at least modest employee contributions to
support payments. Currently, most longer-tenured employees ...
Pensions & Investments
Money managers and
pension funds seeking to fill investment management vacancies with millennials
are finding it takes more than just posting a ...
Santa Fe New Mexican
Public union
membership in the state declined and, by increasing employee payments for
health insurance and pensions, the state imposed an ...
Santa Fe New Mexican
The Public
Employee Retirement Association has about 75 percent of the money necessary to
pay out all claims to members, placing it among the ...
Politico
The answer is
critical to our national future. Social Security was one of the great policy
successes of the 20th century, but it was never intended as a ...
Chicago Sun-Times
It would, however,
rob Illinois workers of their pensions. ... The managers of the California
Public Employees Retirement System have steadily drawn ...
Politico
He's also got lots
of ideas for how to fix the American retirement crisis more broadly. .....
Every retirement system out there whether it's public, private, ...
National Public Pension
Coalition
There is an
increasing gap in the retirement ages across socio-economic status. This has
important implications for public pensions and Social Security.
The Pew Charitable Trusts (blog)
A new study,
"Assessing the Risk of Fiscal Distress for Public Pensions: State Stress
Test Analysis," presents findings about the largest public ...
Concord Monitor
Our public
employees here in New Hampshire are much the same. They pay into their pensions
with the New Hampshire Retirement System each and ...
Courier Journal
Attorney General
Andy Beshear says Kentucky's new pension law illegally cuts benefits of public
employees and was zipped through the General ...
Forbes
Public pensions
are a vital part of American workers' long-term financial health. Whether they
are police officers, firefighters, teachers, or the public ...
Pensions & Investments
John W.
Hickenlooper signed into law on Monday a pension reform bill ... funded status
of the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association, ...
Bloomberg
The Federal
Reserve estimates that public pensions in the U.S. are underfunded by about
$1.6 trillion. Over the past several years, pensions have ...
Cincinnati.com
Firefighters,
school teachers, police officers and other public employees shouldn't have to
worry about their long-term retirement security. Happily ...
Chicago Tribune
The legislature
has done very little to control pension costs. ... That state's constitution
contained similar language to Illinois' that pensions could not be ... unions
and conservative groups to educate the public and to build consensus.
Reuters
So far Missouri
is the only state to offer pension buyouts to former workers, according to
Keith Brainard, research director at the National Association of ...
Pensions & Investments
A taxpayer
lobbying organization sued to halt implementation of the California Secure
Choice Retirement Savings program — a new state defined ...
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