"The case being heard today by the U.S. Supreme Court — Friedrichs vs the California Teachers' Association — aims not only to reverse decades of settled law, but also threatens the voice, working conditions and living standard of workers in New York State and across the nation. Unions are the last line of defense for America's besieged middle class. They are an essential counterweight to worker exploitation, unsafe workplace conditions and corporate greed — as well as bad public policy such as overtesting of students and the unfair evaluation of educators. New York State's amicus brief to this case — filed by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman with the full support of NYSUT — makes it clear that, while it is fair for workers to contribute toward the cost of collective bargaining done on their behalf, no worker in New York is compelled to join a union or pay toward a union's political activities. Make no mistake: Friedrichs vs CTA is a direct attack on American workers and a continuation of the relentless assault on labor by anti-union forces. NYSUT and its members will continue to fight — as we always have — to improve the lives of workers, ensuring always that their rights are protected and voices are heard while on the job.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
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