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To Honor Black History, Fund Our Front-Line Heroes

Lee Saunders and Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II AFSCME
Through their work in public education, public transit and public health, millions of African Americans have been able to provide for their families and strengthen their communities. But without federal aid now those jobs are on the chopping block.

labor

When Unions Passed On Gaining Right to Strike

Marc Kagan The Chief
One New York public employee union —the New York State Nurses Association—is advocating for the abolition of the Taylor Law's no-strike rule. Other unions recognize that labor needs offensive weapons. Yet most are ambivalent or opposed.

labor

Public Servants Are Losing Their Foothold in the Middle Class

Patricia Cohen and Robert Gebeloff The New York Times
For generations of Americans, working for a state or local government — as a teacher, firefighter, bus driver or nurse — provided a comfortable nook in the middle class. But they are now finding themselves financially downgraded.

labor

An Era of Scorn for Our Government Workforce

Lee Saunders Governing
The presidency of Donald Trump has ushered in a fresh wave of withering attacks on public employees at the federal level. Just days after taking the oath of office, Trump imposed a federal hiring freeze. And a new bill moving through Congress would eviscerate civil-service protections, making it easier to fire career government employees without due process. The president's proposed fiscal year 2018 budget is so austere that it would, according to the Washington Post

labor

Iowa’s New Union-Busting Bill is Worse than Wisconsin

Peter Knowlton, Andrew Dinkelaker, and Gene Elk Labor Notes
A bill proposed in the Republican controlled state legislature in Iowa will make it illegal for all public employees except “public safety employees” (police and fire) to negotiate over health care, transfers, job evaluations, procedures for workforce reductions, subcontracting, or anything related to seniority.

New Attack on Public Employee Unions: Not About ‘Free Speech’

Michael Hiltzik Los Angeles Times
Attacks on public employee unions, especially teachers unions, have become a permanent feature of the political landscape. One glaring example is the lawsuit filed last month in federal court in Los Angeles against six California and national teachers unions. The lawsuit purports to defend the “free speech” rights of four California schoolteachers, but its real goal is to silence the collective voice of union members on political and educational issues.
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