Western Australian school teachers to strike, first time in a decade
Amid a skyrocketing cost of living, the Labor government and the unions have enforced a public sector wage freeze.
The Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee is an international network of educators, students, parents, and workers fighting for workers power in the schools, to stop the capitalist destruction of public education and eliminate COVID-19.
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Amid a skyrocketing cost of living, the Labor government and the unions have enforced a public sector wage freeze.
The cuts will accelerate the decline in enrolments, which began in the 1980s as the result of the deliberate weakening of public education by Labor and Liberal-National Coalition governments.
Teachers, parents and community members in Ann Arbor gathered this week at city-wide meeting speaking out against layoffs and attacks on public education.
The claim that “there is no money” is a lie. In Michigan, where the Democrats fully control the state government, corporate handouts—particularly to the automakers—amount to billions.
We workers have every right to take all action deemed necessary to protect our jobs, regardless of whether you choose to sanction them or not. If you will not fight the layoffs, then get out of the way so that UPS workers can do it ourselves.
A rank-and-file rebellion against not just management, but also against the union bureaucracy, is the only thing that can stop this. As long as the Teamsters sellout artists remain in charge, UPS will succeed in its drive to cut jobs. But if we break out of their control, and develop new, alternative structures, that will change the balance of power in our favor.
The unprecedented plan laid out last month to close 200 facilities is the next stage in an offensive against jobs at UPS and requires an urgent response.
The Health Trade Union Alliance (HTUA) last Wednesday announced that it would call an indefinite strike from today. However, after discussion with health and finance ministry officials, HTUA leaders called off the strike.
“Rank-and-file” is originally a military term. It refers to the lower “ranks” of soldiers, who literally stand in lines or “files”. These soldiers have a different set of interests in preserving their lives than the officers or “brass” who prosecute the wars on behalf of the ruling elite.
Rank-and-file committees are of, by and for the rank-and-file workers, who have a different set of interests in preserving their lives than management, the bosses, the politicians, and the trade union apparatus, who send workers to die while defending the profits of the ruling elite.
Yes. The formation of rank-and-file committees is 100% completely legal under the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
The right to freedom of speech means you can say whatever you like about what you agree or disagree with. Freedom of association, also covered under the first amendment, means you have the right to associate with others who share your views, for political ends. You also have the right to petition the government for redress, to make demands on the government and tell them what you want them to do.
No. HIPAA has an exception for disclosures to prevent and control the spread of disease, but the state is deliberately not invoking this exception in order to conceal information from workers, so that they can pretend that what they are doing is safe when it’s not.
Rank-and-file educators have the right to know who’s gotten sick, where, when, and what happened. Rank-and-file committees have to demand this information, and have to share it with other workers as a matter of collective self defense.