The people united will never be divided
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled it’s illegal for public sector union to collect fair share union fees in Janus vs. AFSCME. This case is an attempt to dramatically impact the way public sector unions, including the IEA, operate. This decision is by no means the end of the Illinois Education Association. In fact, the Janus case is a major opportunity for us to grow and build a stronger IEA.
Make no mistake, this case is an attempt to not only destroy public sector unions but it is a blatant attack on public education. Governor Bruce Rauner and special interest groups are behind the case that looks to weaken our collective voice. The voice we use to advocate for our students, our schools, and our communities. They are looking to privatize education and profit off of our public schools. They will fail. We know our members are ready to fight.
History proves we are stronger united. It means we can and will create a more powerful membership and a more powerful organization. We will continue to represent school employees and provide them with the strong voice they need to support good schools and a quality education for all students in Illinois. We will continue to move forward. We are 135,000 strong and have a powerful voice that cannot be ignored when we stand united.
Don’t Knock Window Cling
The Illinois Policy Institute and the Mackinac Center have already urged IEA members to drop their membership. We know they’ll likely try again by mail, by email, by phone call, by ad campaigns, by showing up to workplaces and even by coming to your home and knocking on your door. Order your free window cling to put in your front window or on your front door to send them the message – loud and clear – that they’re not welcome at your house. You’re sticking with your union!
Corporate wealth is fueling these attacks because they want to eliminate unions, maximize their profits at the expense of their employees, and take away the collective voice of the working and middle class. The Janus case isn’t about what’s good for us or our students. It’s about making it harder for working people to get ahead, making it harder for us to stand united and fight for our students, our schools, our paychecks and our benefits. As members of a union, you should know you will likely be getting mailers, seeing billboards and hearing lots of people saying negative things about the IEA and other unions. In fact, you may receive phone calls at home or knocks on your door from people who want to engage you in anti-union conversation. That rhetoric is a blatant attempt to break up the union and steal our power. By standing united, we stay strong.
Unions can provide all sorts of benefits not only in your workplace, but also outside of your workplace. Your union gives you a strong collective voice, provides liability insurance, reimbursement for legal fees, advice on all sorts of work related matters and free professional development clock hours. Click here to download a list of all the benefits you get for being a member of the IEA. You also can get discounts on all sorts of things, including at Target, your cell phone bill, your car insurance and travel.
Get the facts:
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Be an advocate:
Join the Illinois Educators Action Network to make your voice heard in your community.
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Reach out to IEA Connect for help making an impact.