The Janus Attack " Dont Mourn, Organize and Fightback with Kimberly Bowsky Goldbaum, Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) rank and file activist, Member of CTU Executive Board and House of Delegates, Member of Chicago AFT Black Caucus, and the Caucus of Rank and File Educators. and Chris Brooks, Staff Writer and Organizer with Labor Notes magazine. Most recently co-author, A Labor Notes Guide: Power in Open-Shop America
The generations long right wing campaign funded by corporate donors to destroy U.S. unions won another victory in the Supreme Courts Janus v. AFSCME ruling in which it's five-man Republican-named majority lowered the boom on unions representing state and local government workers, declaring every single such worker in the country a free rider, able to take union services without paying one red cent for them. Some fear a financial death sentence for public sector unions and massive loses in membership . In addition the right is poised to reach out to union members by mass mailings, ad campaigns and robo calls to quit the union and to extend this ruling by additional legislative and judicial action to further weaken unions.
The looming threat of Janus forced many public sector unions to try to reconnect with their membership base. But while this was a first step, Chris Brooks argues that much more needs to be done to rebuild unions after Janus. We'll ask Kimberly Bowsky Goldbaum, an African American rank and file activist in the Chicago Teachers Union how they built an astonishingly 99% membership rate. According to Chris Brooks .Its getting back to basics. "Prospective members will be won by deeds. A unions power rests on how many workers will act together and how strong an action they will take. " Our guests will analyze our challenge with the experience of CTU and other public and private sector workers unions in right to work states to explore strategy and tactics to democratize and reinvigorate unions in the Janus era and by reaching out to and forming alliances with other progressive struggles which are also under attack by our common enemies in these perilous times.
produced by Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg
please notify us if you plan to broadcast this program - knash@igc.org
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