Nick Faber thought he'd be spending this week on the picket line in a Minnesota winter. The president of the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers (SPFT) was prepared for what would have been his union's first strike since 1946, with the backing of 85 percent of the union's membership. But at the last minute, in a marathon bargaining session on Monday, the union and the district came to a settlement that includes most of the union's major priorities, including a push to seek additional revenue for the schools from big corporations located in the city.
The labor movement in general, and public sector unions in particular, are nervously eying Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, a case before the Supreme Court that could make the entire public sector “right-to-work”—meaning that teachers and other government employees can refuse to become dues-paying members of their union and still get the benefits negotiated by it. This conservative legal campaign is designed to strip unions of support and funds, but the SPFT's success this week offers a hopeful model for how a beaten-down movement can regain its strength in communities across America.
Read Full Article »