More on Janus
At the General Membership meeting, we were asked if there were quick summaries that could be used to help educate other people about the Janus case. Here are some suggestions…
- Here’s NPR’s Nina Totenberg with a good summary of what the case is about (thanks to Patti Aretakis).
- Also check out this op-ed piece from the New York Times, which also explains the situation clearly (thanks to Linda Burke).
- Again, you can always refer people to our previous email that gives an in-depth look at the case.
- This report from AFSCME helps demonstrate how strong unions benefit whole communities, not just union workers
Monday’s oral arguments pretty much went as expected, with all indications that the case will be decided against unions (here’s Nina Totenberg’s report on the hearing itself). While we can still hold out just the smallest bit of hope that John Roberts may reverse his vote from last time in order to protect the “status and integrity” of the Supreme Court, he gave no hint of this on Monday.
Organizing Conference
As mentioned in the meeting, the PJSTA is hosting an organizing conference to help fight back against the expected Janus decision (SWRTA is a participating sponsor). This conference is for ANYONE who would like to be an active part of the solution to protect our union and our way of life. It’s being held Saturday, March 10th 9:30AM to 3PM. Click here to register.
West Virginia Teachers Strike
With everything else going on, we haven’t reported on the fact that schools throughout the entire state of West Virginia have been closed due to a teachers strike. They had not had an across the board increase since 2014, are the 48th lowest paid teachers in the nation, and actually saw salaries decline in 2017.
We’re happy to now report that the strike is over, and apparently, it was settled by a 6th grader. And seriously, if you haven’t clicked any other links in this email, you’ve at least got to check that story out.
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