Hope you are having a restful Summer,
Please see the information below from CTA. I will keep you posted on how our Chapter is affected when the 2018-2019 School Year begins.
In a narrow decision, the U.S. Supreme Court turned its back on the educators, nurses, firefighters, police officers and public servants who make our communities strong and safe.
In Janus v. AFSCME, the court overturned a decision allowing the collection of fair share fees that was established more than 40 years ago. Allowing some to opt-out of paying will make it harder for all public employees to provide the services that everyone depends on. In short, it will be harder for workers to join strong unions. The key word here is harder, not impossible.
When we stand together, we have power. Power that allows us to bargain better learning and working conditions, good contracts that include pay increases, health care and retirement security. It gives us a seat at the table to negotiate for things that improve the educational opportunities of our students, like additional resources, smaller class sizes, more nurses and counselors to keep students healthy and supported.
If we allow this decision to weaken our union, our ability to bargain better pay and benefits, support for new educators and necessary services for our most at-risk youth goes away. That’s why it’s more important than ever for us to keep our union strong.
So, while the court made it more difficult for us to do our jobs, we are a resourceful group. We will continue to do what it takes to advocate for what our students need to succeed. We won’t give up advocating for our students.