AFSCME members know all too well what’s at stake for America’s working families when the U.S. Supreme Court takes up Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association in January. That’s why this week, AFSCME and labor, civil rights and community partners in the America Works Together coalition are raising awareness through a “week of action.”
In an economy that already favors corporate CEOs and the rich who can afford to manipulate the rules, Friedrichs threatens to make an already out-of-balance economy even worse. A group called the Center for Individual Rights, which the American Prospect recently revealed has been funded by right-wing 1 percenters including the Koch brothers – and even white supremacists – is trying to make it even harder for public service workers like teachers, nurses and social workers to band together at work for better wages, benefits and standards that improve the lives of all Americans.
Thousands of working people have already signed a MoveOn.org petition telling the Center for Individual Rights to stop attacking working people.
Make sure you sign the petition and get in on the conversation on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag: #WorkTogether.
Through their unions, working people are able to speak up together for wages and benefits that sustain their families and set standards for everyone. But the benefits of union members banding together and speaking with one voice go beyond better wages for everyone. Strong unions mean teachers can negotiate for smaller class sizes, nurses can come together to ensure hospitals provide safe staffing, and first responders can speak up for the things they need to keep the public safe.
“My co-workers and I help keep drinking water safe, make sure air quality doesn’t promote sickness, and clean up land and water for recreation and sustainable development,” said Karen Williams, a water quality analyst at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and member of AFSCME Council 75. “That’s why we need to maintain our voice on the job – to be able to speak up together for training, safety standards and best practices to do our work properly and more efficiently for the benefit of everyone in our state.”
This week, join fellow AFSCME sisters and brothers and working people across the country to say enough is enough! We’re not going to let CEOs and special interests silence the voices of working people by using this case to attack public service workers.
Sign the petition: Tell Center for Individual Rights: Stop Attacking Working People