Working people rallied in cities across the country over the weekend to call for an end to policies that attack union members and rig the economy and political system against working families, as the Supreme Court began hearing arguments yesterday in a case that threatens to overturn a decades-old precedent and undercut public workers.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) spoke at the Day of Action in Philadelphia:
We’re all fighting back. Public and private. We are one union family and no one, I mean no one, pushes us around.
Our freedoms rise from the Constitution of the United States, which was signed not far from where we stand today. Our freedom gives us the foundation to be what we want and to join together and raise our voices together. And no matter which way the Supreme Court rules, our freedoms will endure!
We’ll stand together against the rich and powerful for a better life for your family and my family and every working family. Because we do the work. We pave the streets. We drive the buses and walk the beats. We are working people. We won’t be shoved aside. We are the American labor movement, and we will not be denied!
Liz Shuler (IBEW), secretary-treasurer of AFL-CIO, attended the event in Washington, D.C.:
On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Janus v. AFSCME. And we’re here to make one thing clear: Working people will not be silenced. We’re going to speak up and tell the truth about this case.
The agenda behind Janus is simple: more power for big corporations and fewer rights for the rest of us. Period. This fight isn't about one man in Illinois. It's about the single mom who relies on a strong union to bargain a decent wage. It's about the safety and economic security of a firefighter who puts their life on the line every day. It's about the teacher who wonders whether they might have to do the same. Last week in Parkland, Florida, a football coach named Aaron Feis lost his life by throwing himself in front of bullets to protect his students. His act of courage is a reminder that we should be expanding rights for our public servants, not taking them away.
Today, we are standing up for the everyday American heroes who protect and educate us, who care for us when we’re sick, who make our government run and who keep our communities strong. That's what working people do every day. That's what hardworking union members do every day to make lives better for everyone.