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Dear Colleagues,
I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with a quick update on UUP’s response to yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling in the Janus case.
We are moving forward. While the ruling was certainly a gut punch to organized labor, it was also a rallying cry for unions and working families everywhere. This vicious attack, perpetrated by corporate CEOs and ultra-rich elites to break unions and rob working families of the ability to speak out and bargain collectively, is akin to poking a sleeping bear. And this bear isn’t happy.
Unions have been under attack throughout history, and we’ve always survived and thrived. This is not labor’s death knell; it’s labor’s awakening. We are united, we are strong, and we are prepared to fight. We will fight, and we will win.
To help you through the tumult, we have created a web page on the UUP website (http://uupinfo.org/defendunion/Janus.php) that will provide you with key information about the immediate and long-term impact the Janus ruling may have on membership at your chapter. You can click here to access the page. If you have questions, contact UUP Organizing Director Kristie Sammons at 800-342-4206, or ksammons@uupmail.org.
Also, I’ve attached a set of talking points to assist chapters in having conversations with members about signing UUP’s new membership card. It is imperative that all UUP members sign the new card, which was updated to account for state Taylor Law changes made March 30 to protect unions.
Needless to say, yesterday was a busy day.
Within minutes of the Janus ruling, I was in contact with leaders at AFT and NYSUT. At 11 a.m., we received a briefing from AFT President Randi Weingarten, part of a conference call with union leaders from across the country. UUP officers and staff also took part in two other AFT conference calls—including a nationwide Town Hall call at the end of the day. We learned a lot about the nuances of the decision, and how it may impact public sector unions in New York and across America.
I also held a morning conference call with chapter leaders and UUP’s Executive Board and provided the information we received from AFT. I talked about UUP’s response to Janus and ways that chapters can get involved in spreading the word that UUP members are sticking with their union.
Shortly afterward, we sent out information to chapter officers explaining how they should process members’ withdrawal requests, and a social media tool kit to help spread the word that we are Union Strong and ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our sisters and brothers in labor as we face this adversity—together.
We also launched our new Member Information line, at 518-640-6678. This is a direct line that members can call with any questions they might have about UUP and their union membership. A live person will answer this line from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please give the Member Information line number to anyone who calls your chapter offices with questions or who may be looking to quit the union.
In the afternoon, I taped an interview on “Capital Tonight,” which aired on Spectrum cable systems north of Westchester County. You can view the video by clicking here. UUP’s media release was reported on by several news outlets, including Inside Higher Ed.
Today, I am in Potsdam and Canton, speaking to members about our new tentative contract agreement with the state. Dozens of members signed our new union recommitment cards at these stops; thousands of members have signed the cards at visits to 19 campuses in June as part of our contract “Negotiations Tour.”
Our team of professional organizers is in place, and they have been busy talking to members at their campuses about the importance of being union, about sticking with their union, and, if they’re not a member, joining the union.
Several years ago, UUP changed its focus from a service organization to one of organizing to prepare for the inevitability of a case like Janus. Our hard work has provided us with a membership-focused structure that we will build on.
I will share new information with you as I receive it. This is no time for complacency. It is time for courage, for conviction, and for commitment. They don’t decide. We decide.
Now, let’s get to work.
In solidarity,
Fred
