A teacher walkout would cast the strike as a challenge to the creeping absorption of public schools by charter management organizations.
As NYC educators worked to make sense of a proposal that UFT union officials were asking them to move forward just 24 hours later, some union members began to raise concerns.
The campaign organized by State Policy Network think tanks includes a multi-state effort to reach 5 million teachers, librarians, and other public-sector workers affected by the Janus decision.
Walker’s attack and the Janus litigation are similar not only because they directly attack working people and their right to organize, but because both have been bankrolled and directed by a network of billionaires and right-wing foundations.
This piece was developed by Organize 2020, the social and racial justice caucus of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), written in advance of the massive May 16th teachers mobilizations in North Carolina. Keep an eye out for future reflection pieces from local organizers.
Labor unrest harmed Democrats in the 1960s and 1970s. This time the GOP might be the loser.
To believe that the West Virginia strike was a natural expression of the correct alignment of social forces isn’t just wrong, it sells West Virginians short.
Union leaders hope that by organizing teachers and staff at charter schools, and giving them a voice to advocate for more resources through collective bargaining, the charter model will become less attractive to investors and public officials.
Rather than a problem, we wanted to start with a vision. We asked members three questions:
What brings you joy in the work you do with students?
What sucks the life and joy out of working with students?
What can we propose through bargaining that could increase the joy and reduce the stress in your work?
Spread the word