Tag: solidarity

Solidarity with Arizona Educators!

The PJSTA stands in solidarity with the striking #RedForEd educators in Arizona who are fighting not only for a living wage but also for better learning conditions for students and a sustainable way to fund Arizona’s schools so that students can have the schools they deserve.

Click here to contribute money to send pizza to striking educators who will converge on Arizona’s Capitol today.

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PJSTA Resolution in Support of the CTU

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Passed unanimously by the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association’s executive board…

 

WHEREAS the Chicago Teachers Union has been negotiating since 2014 for a just contract, and

WHEREAS Chicago students and teachers have faced attacks on public education that mirror those in New York State and around the country, and

WHEREAS Mayor Rahm Emanuel has threatened to eliminate city pension contributions for CTU members, which would effectively cut their pay by 7 percent, and

WHEREAS the CTU engaged in a successful strike in 2012, joining with parents, students, and communities to fight for educational justice and the schools Chicago’s students deserve, and

WHEREAS on September 28th, 95.6% of Chicago teachers voted to authorize a strike, and

WHEREAS, CTU has released a report, titled “A Just Chicago: Fighting for the City Our Students Deserve”, which, as the union puts it “demonstrates that challenges in housing, employment, justice and health care relate directly to education; solutions require a narrowing of the opportunity gap brought on by poverty, racism and segregation,” making CTU’s fight for a contract a touchstone for a wider struggle against austerity and for economic and racial justice, therefore be it

RESOLVED that the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association supports the CTU in its fight to negotiate a contract that meets the needs of its members, their students, and their communities, and be it further

RESOLVED that the PJSTA will launch a solidarity campaign, to be shared via social media, in its schools and encourage all of its members to participate in the campaign as a show of support and solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Chicago, and be it further

RESOLVED that the PJSTA will urge its entire membership to wear red on Tuesday, October 11th in a show of solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the CTU, and be it further

RESOLVED that the PJSTA contribute to the CTU’s solidarity fund when information for such fund becomes available, and be it further

RESOLVED that the PJSTA share information with its general membership on how to contribute to the solidarity fund and urge each of its members to contribute individually as well, and be it further

RESOLVED that the PJSTA executive board engage the general membership in discussions on the strike, informing them of the issues involved and drawing parallels to the similar situations that impact educators in New York, and be it further

RESOLVED that the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association urges NYSUT and its affiliates to adopt a similar resolution.

Favorite Tweets From the CTU Rally

Today the Chicago Teachers Union rallied for a fair contract and for the schools Chicago deserves.  Here are some of my favorite tweets from the rally…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PJSTA Passes Reso in Support of SEA; Launches Solidarity Campaign

At today’s Representative Council meeting the PJSTA’s governing body passed a resolution in support of the Seattle Education Association who are currently on strike in Seattle as they fight for the schools Seattle’s students deserve.  Additionally the PJSTA pledged to launch a solidarity campaign in our schools and asked NYSUT to similarly support the SEA while encouraging it’s locals to issue their own resolutions in support of the SEA.  Details on the solidarity campaign will hit the buildings tomorrow.

Here is the text of the resolution…

Whereas the Seattle Education Association is locked in a contract battle that has important consequences for educators everywhere; and

Whereas Seattle teachers have worked diligently to build coalitions within their communities and have won the support of parents, and mobilized for a contract that includes not only fair compensation and secure working conditions, but a decrease in high stakes testing, and increased services for their students; and

Whereas the Seattle Education Association is seeking to install site based teams in each school to address structural inequities and institutional racism that plague their school district; and

Whereas the Seattle Education Association is seeking caseload caps for school psychologists and counselors to better meet the needs of the students that they serve; and

Whereas the Seattle Education Association has not had a cost of living adjustment in 6 years and the district has $50 million in reserves and has recently received $40 million in new monies from Washington State; and

Whereas the Seattle Education Association went on a one day strike last spring in protest of the current reform movement that is damaging public education and, therefore stood tall for all public school teachers across the country facing similar reforms, including members of the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association; and

Whereas the Seattle Education Association is a fellow affiliate of the National Education Association; and

Whereas a victory for Seattle teachers would greatly encourage teachers everywhere, including members of the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association and the New York State United Teachers, to continue in our increasingly stronger efforts to combat damaging and abusive public education reforms in our own communities; and

Whereas a victory for the Seattle Education Association would be a victory for public-sector employees across the country who continue to oppose the privatization of public resources and the plundering of public assets; and

Whereas the Seattle Education Association membership has voted unanimously to authorize the strike; therefore be it

Resolved that the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association supports the Seattle Education Association in its fight to negotiate a contract that meets the needs of its members, their students, and their communities; and be it further

Resolved that the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association will launch a solidarity campaign, to be shared via social media, in its schools and encourage all of its members to participate in the campaign as a show of support and solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Seattle; and be it further
Resolved that the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association urges NYSUT and its affiliates to adopt a similar resolution.

SEA on strike.

PJSTA Unanimously Votes to Support Portland Teachers

At tonight’s executive board meeting the PJSTA’s executive board unanimously approved the following resolution…

Whereas, the Portland Public Schools are harming students and educators with a refusal to negotiate a fair contract, particularly in regards to class sizes, teacher workloads, wages, insurance coverage, and staffing levels and

Whereas, the Portland Association of Teachers, a fellow NEA local, now sit on the front lines of the fight for quality public education;

Be it resolved, that the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association supports them in their fight.

Portland, Oregon Teachers Vote to Strike!

Yesterday we mentioned the possibility of Portland Oregon’s teachers going on strike.  Late last night the PAT‘s rank and file overwhelmingly authorized a strike.

Via Reuters…

Teachers in Portland, Oregon’s largest school district, voted Wednesday night to authorize a strike, setting the stage for a walkout that could disrupt classes for nearly 48,000 students, union officials said.

Portland’s 2,828 teachers have been engaged for months in contentious off-and-on negotiations with the district on a new three-year contract, and the strike authorization vote clears the way for a strike on February 20 if no settlement is reached, the Portland Association of Teachers said late Wednesday.

“No teacher ever wants to go on strike, we want to be in classrooms with our students,” union president Gwen Sullivan said in a statement after the vote.

…

“We can still negotiate after a strike vote,” Miles said. “We are still at the table. We are still trying to come to an agreement.”

A strike authorization does not necessarily mean that the teachers will walk out. It does, however, allow union leaders to declare a strike if negotiations are not successful.

…

The district already is bracing for a possible walkout with plans to keep its 78 schools open using substitute teachers if the need arises.

Some parents, however, have expressed concern at the prospect of their children crossing picket lines to attend classes or extracurricular activities during a strike.

“I don’t think we would send them to school with substitutes. We support the teachers,” said Ali King, the mother of two daughters in the sixth and ninth grades. “Even with qualified subs, it will be a disruptive atmosphere.”

…

Students at several Portland high schools were planning to stage their own rallies to show support for teachers before the vote on Wednesday.

The union and school district have been at odds over class size, teacher workloads, wages and insurance coverage, but the issue of staffing levels has emerged as the chief stumbling block.

The @PATSolidarity Twitter account reported…

Our brothers and sisters in the PAT, and NEA local, have moved to the front lines in the battle for quality public education.  We will monitor this situation very closely and the PJSTA will support them in any way we can as we stand in solidarity with them.

Largest LIRR Union Votes Unanimously to Strike

We first mentioned this possibility yesterday.  Last night one of the LIRR’s unions voted unanimously to strike.

Via the Daily News…

Members of the Long Island Rail Road’s largest union voted 500 to 0 on Wednesday to strike, a development that helps lay the groundwork for a walkout as soon as March.

Two locals that make up the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Union voted in Massapequa, L.I. The third local in the union didn’t participate.

“The membership spoke loud and clear tonight … and said we will not sit back and be disrespected,” said Anthony Simon, SMART’s general chairman. “I have never been prouder to be their leader.”

…

About 6,000 LIRR workers have labored without a contract for more than three years, and talks aimed at producing a new contract have reached an impasse. Workers are angry that officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — the LIRR’s parent company — won’t adopt a contract settlement proposed by a Presidential Emergency Board. It includes modest raises, but MTA bosses shot it down last month.

…

The emergency board, made up of neutral mediators, delivered its recommendations in December after hearing labor and management experts testify about MTA finances and various additional factors. The board concluded the MTA could afford to pay the raises it proposed — amounting to about 2.85% a year for six years — without raising fares in 2015 higher than the 4% jump already planned. It also said workers should start contributing 2% of their base pay for health care.

But the MTA is pushing for a three-year wage freeze for all of its workers unless pay increases are offset by cost savings related to productivity. The mediators didn’t endorse the work-rule changes the MTA sought to balance out potential rises for LIRR workers.

We will continue to follow this story as it unfolds in the coming month.

Two Strike Votes Tonight

Tonight there will be two strike votes taking place.  One of the votes will feature a teachers union while the other features a Long Island union.

This evening at 7:00 pm Pacific time teachers in Portland, Oregon will be voting on whether or not to authorize a strike.  The Portland Association of Teachers, an NEA local, is made up of nearly 3,000 teachers plus more than 1,000 substitute teachers.  Today, in solidarity with their teachers, students held walkouts around the city of Portland.  As the story unfolds we will have more here at thepjsta.org.  You can follow @PATSolidarity on Twitter to keep track of the story in real time.  The PJSTA is proud to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Portland!

The other strike vote taking place tonight is that of the LIRR’s largest union.  Via Newsday...

The Sheet Metal, Air and Transportation Union/United Transportation Union, which represents nearly half of LIRR laborers, will cast their ballots at back-to-back meetings in Massapequa Wednesday night. SMART UTU general chairman Anthony Simon, who expects a unanimous “yes” vote from members, said he will also be handing out picket signs and coordinating strike captains.

Smaller LIRR unions have already approved similar votes to walk off the job as early as March 21. Simon said his union’s vote — the first of its kind in two decades — is “the toughest for our members ever to make.”

“This is going to affect their finances, their families, and the Long Island economy,” Simon said. “But they are standing united with their union, because they have been pushed around far too long.”

…

In November, President Barack Obama appointed a Presidential Emergency Board to help resolve the dispute. After listening to arguments from labor and management during a weeklong Manhattan hearing, the board largely ruled in the unions’ favor, saying that the MTA could afford to give workers raises without having to raise fares. The unions accepted the board’s nonbinding recommendations, but the MTA rejected them.

The PJSTA proudly stands in solidarity with all of their brothers and sisters in the labor movement.  We will have more on these situations as they unfold.