Teachers union is going strong despite high court ruling: Column

In the month since the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against public sector unions in Janus v. AFSCME, New York’s working people are standing up to show their unity, resilience and fighting spirit.

Union members know the value of having a strong voice in the workplace to advocate for what they and their families need.  

While the ruling means that workers can now take the higher pay, better benefits and secure retirement fought for – and won by – their unions without having to pay dues, union members aren’t falling for it.  Union members understand the value of having a well-funded union to fight for their interests.  They are rejecting as “spam” and “fraud” efforts funded by big business and right-wing billionaires to convince them to drop their membership.

They are sticking with their union.

In fact, in the two weeks since the Janus decision, just nine members quit NYSUT.  In contrast, more than 9,000 members signed new cards re-committing to the union, even as another 1,300 fee-payers – who previously were not full-fledged members – have decided to join NYSUT, some for the first time.

Members of NYSUT and other public sector unions know that being a union member means power.  Working collectively, their unions help them to win pay raises, improved health benefits and retirement security as compensation for the important work they do.  They understand their union’s role in ensuring they are equal partners in important decisions about what happens in their workplaces, and what would happen to them without a strong union having their backs.

Make no mistake, the Janus decision poses a threat to public unions’ ability to advocate for workers and for economic justice for all Americans. But, that threat will only become a reality if unions don’t change.

A year and a half ago, the 600,000-plus member NYSUT began making that change, launching a major campaign to re-connect with its rank-and-file. NYSUT is placing person-to-person contact and relationship-building at the heart of all that we do, aiming for one-to-one conversations with all of our members.

NYSUT has trained more than 500 members to visit with their fellow unionists in their homes and at their work sites to talk to them about the value and advantages of being an active member of their own local union. Other public sector unions, such as the Public Employees Federation and CSEA, are adapting, too, with their own unique strategies, helped by the governor’s pro-labor message.

So far, NYSUT activists have knocked on more than 100,000 doors. NYSUT members shouldn’t be shocked if they open the screen door to find someone looking to talk about the union’s role in amplifying their voice and their values in the workplace.

This is a shift that, frankly, probably would not have occurred had it not been for Janus.  A year or two from now, New York’s strong labor movement may look back and recognize that Janus was the kick that unions needed to re-energize workers and make them an even more powerful force.

This optimism is reflected in a recent conversation with a member on her doorstep.  A NYSUT member confessed she is worried about the direction of our country, and what will happen to ordinary workers like her in the face of unrelenting political attacks on her salary, benefits, pension and professional autonomy.

Then, she brightened. She made the connection. She understood her union gave her a voice and the power to stand up for herself, her students and her profession.  She knows she is not alone.  She knows that, because of her union, she has the ability to push for what her students – and her own family – need to thrive.

Multiply that by more than 2.5 million union members across New York. By staying together, NYSUT -- and the entire organized labor movement – will only grow stronger.

Andy Pallotta is president of the 600,000-member plus New York State United Teachers.