NEA endorses Kamala Harris for president

The following communication has been sent out by the National Education Association. The American Federation of Government Employees has also sent out a mass communication supporting Harris in recent days.

NEA endorses Kamala Harris for president

Before turning to the latest in Congress, a brief word about the presidential race. NEA’s PAC Council and Board of Directors last week endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the next president! Read President Pringle’s statement about the endorsement, as well as her comments following President Biden’s announcement that he would not seek another term.

Meanwhile, members of Congress are eager to be home and not in Washington, DC. House GOP leadership announced last week a change in schedule, canceling votes for the upcoming week and putting the House in recess until September 9. Part of this was also due to the majority’s inability to secure enough votes to advance funding bills, including the education appropriations bill that contains extreme cuts as noted in this space last week. Thank you for your quick advocacy to push back on those cuts. Let’s keep it going in August (see alert below), as Congress will need to come together for at least a short-term funding agreement before the end of the fiscal year on September 30.

We also continue to press for action on full repeal of the GPO-WEP Social Security penalties, with passage of the Social Security Fairness Act (HR 82 / S 597). With a record number now of co-sponsors in both the House and the Senate, it’s time for a vote. Take a minute to send a new message to Congress in support of a “discharge petition”, a parliamentary move in the House to force a vote on the bill.

In solidarity,







Marc Egan

Educational Unions Ally To Organize & Win---And Provide A Lesson For Others

Teachers, counselors, librarians, teaching assistants, clerical workers, bus drivers, custodians, food service workers and others who work in the Fairfax, Virginia public school system have filed for two bargaining unit elections. They are represented by the Fairfax Education Unions (FEU), an alliance between the Fairfax Education Assiciation, an affiliate of the National Edcation Association, and the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. Their disrict is the ninth largest in the United States.

A press release issued by the alliance underscored the historic nature of the union alliance and the demand for recognition being put forward by the FEU. That press release can be read here.

There are lessons for Oregon here. Unity between unions and union organizing are positive steps. The Fairfax school district is experiencing some economic difficulties, despite Fairfax County being one of he wealthiest districts in the United States, and these difficulties are based in part on the County Executive not being responsive to the needs of the community and the school workers. Sound familiar? You can follow the union response to this situation here.       

The unions involved have strong relations with the labor movement---another practical lesson for us in our region---and the AFL-CIO had this to say about the union campaign:  

Top Cut:
Fairfax Education Unions (FEU), an alliance between Fairfax Education Association and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) affiliate Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT), filed for two bargaining unit elections last week and demanded recognition from Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

Why It Matters:
In March 2023, the Fairfax County School Board voted to extend collective bargaining rights to workers, three years after the Virginia General Assembly first gave localities the power to do so, reversing a 1977 Virginia Supreme Court ruling. An overwhelming number of FCPS workers signed authorization cards and a petition urging recognition of their union. This organizing effort is taking place in the ninth largest school district in the entire country and is the largest public sector bargaining campaign in generations.

“Today we are proud to announce our decision to file for a union election. This pivotal step reaffirms our unwavering commitment to advocate for the rights and well-being of all FCPS staff,” said David Walrod, president of FCFT, in an FEU statement. “For too long, we haven’t had a seat at the table. But now we are empowered to stand together, speak up, and shape FCPS for the better. This initiative marks a significant milestone in our journey towards the bargaining table.”

Humanitarian Aid for Gaza Educators and Students

https://www.gofundme.com/f/humanitarian-aid-for-gaza-educators-and-students

The impact of the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas has caused loss of human life in both Israel and Gaza and has left education communities and the whole world in shock. The National Education Association (NEA) extends its unwavering support to all students and educators in the region, and we are committed to advocating for a peaceful resolution, the protection of schools, universities, and educational personnel, and the prioritization of education in relief efforts.

NEA is working with Education International (EI) and EI affiliates in the West Bank to help provide support to meet the most urgent needs of educators and students in Gaza. This includes the distribution of food and blankets, as well as books and toys for children.

While EI affiliates primarily operate in the West Bank where their members actively engage in advocating for the rights and well-being of educators, they have forged connections with teachers in Gaza. These EI affiliates are collecting and will distribute resources.

All donations will benefit Education International’s Solidarity Fund for Gaza.


Cecilia Evans
Chief Financial Officer
NEA Member Benefits

Text from the NEA GoFundMe page and photo from Education International. This post does not reflect the opinions of the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter or the Oregon AFL-CIO.

Solidarity needed now, a few learning opportunities, and some quick labor news

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. delivered the keynote address

at the University of Michigan’s Black Men in Unions Conference.

Read about it here.

Teamsters Local 223 & Eugene/Springfield Solidarity Network

stands in solidarity with Oregon Nurses Association! Photo from Tizoc

Arenas.

From a press release signed by Johnny Earl, SEIU 503 Higher Ed Bargaining Team Chair and
Custodial Coordinator, University of Oregon:

Here are some more ways you can help:

1. Send an email to the University Presidents asking them to settle a fair contract with classified workers and to tell management’s bargaining team to stop their hardball tactics at the negotiating table. (Click here for a list of the president’s email addresses.) If you have questions, please ask Len Norwitz at norwitzL@seiu503.org.

2. Attend one of the action the list below next week. If you can attend any of these, we would love to have your support. Please wear purple if you can, but if you can’t we’d still love to see you there. To RSVP or to get more information, email Len Norwitz at norwitzl@seiu503.org.

Come to Western Oregon University (Monmouth) on Thursday, February 22nd, from 11 am to 1 pm to help distribute flyers and have conversations with the campus community and students. And participate as we deliver our support petitions. Get oriented/meet at the Werner University Center on North Monmouth Ave.

Come to Portland State University (Portland) Smith Memorial Student Union on Wednesday, February 21st, from 9:30 to 11:30 am for an open campus strategic planning session hosted by President Ann Cudd.

Come to Oregon State University (Corvallis) McNary Dining Center on Friday, February 23rd, from 11 to 11:30 am and be a part of our delegation – “OSU cannot ignore us!” - to the Annual UHDS Soup-Challenge event that is open to the community.

Come to the University of Oregon (Eugene) EU Ampitheatre on Monday, February 26th, from noon to 1 pm and be a part of the gathering and delegation to the President’s office - “We will not be ignored”.

Southern Oregon University (Ashland) - 2/26 – Event info TBD

Oregon Institute of Technology (Klamath Falls) - 2/26 – Event info TBD

Eastern Oregon University (La Grande) - 2/26 – Event info TBD

We appreciate your continued support for our Higher Ed members and thank you in advance for seeing this through to a fair contract.

From Portland Jobs with Justice:

On Monday, the editorial staff of the Portland Mercury, The Stranger, EverOut Portland, Bold Type Tickets and across Index Media have announced they have joined together to form the Index Media Union, as members of the Pacific NW Newspaper Guild! JWJ was thrilled to hear about this new union at our most recent Steering Committee meeting, as all workers deserve a union! We strongly urge management at Index Media to voluntarily recognize the union in order to proceed swiftly to negotiating a fair first contract! You can find JWJ's letter of support, here!

Share their announcements over Instagram and Twitter, and give them a follow, too!

Please join the Oregon Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, JWJ's Portland Rising, and the SEIU-AFRAM Caucus for a special Black History Month Movie night! It will feature two short films and a special presentation moderated by Vinnie Blanco Jr.:

Travis Nelson, Representative, House District 44 will talk on health care inequities and efforts to create a new health care system, and

Sarina Roher, Secretary-Treasurer, Oregon AFL-CIO will talk on bargaining challenges for health care unions and the challenges of being a health care worker.

Thursday, February 29 from 7 - 9pm
SEIU Local 503 (525 NE Oregon St Portland OR 97232)
Masks encouraged!Join Coalition of Black Trade Unionists for great Black History Month programming all month, including the 2/15 Health Forum (on Zoom.) Find more at this link!

 

Get the truth and gain an understanding on AP African American studies here.

All of the members of the Georgia State Senate Democratic Caucus wore red bandanas last week in solidarity with CWA members who are leading the fight against an anti-union bill. The bill would make companies that respect their workers’ right to form unions through voluntary recognition ineligible for state economic incentives. (Photo and text from CWA)

My heart was troubled to learn this morning that Remington Arms is moving from New York to Georgia and that our United Mine Workers of America will be losing about 300 members as this move takes place. Perhaps Remington workers will go union in Georgia.