On 26 February, the Janus vs AFSCME Supreme Court case will be heard. It represents the biggest anti-union legal move in half a century. The case is supported by big monied conservatives including the Koch Brothers with the goal of diminishing the power of the labour movement under the guise of freedom of speech.
If the court rules in favour of the plaintiff, fair share fees paid by non-member workers to cover their representation will no longer be obligatory – yet Unions will still be legally-bound to represent them. This case warps the idea of freedom of speech by enabling one person’s complaint to undermine the interests of millions of workers across the country who benefit from collective bargaining.
On 24 February — two days before the Supreme Court deliberates Janus vs. AFSCME — a massive mobilization aims to get thousands into the streets in a show of labour strength. Called the “Working People’s Day of Action,” the nationwide rallies will invoke the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. and the sanitation workers who walked off their jobs in Memphis 50 years ago.
On 22 February President of the Lithuanian Industry Trade Unions’ Federation (LITUF), Juozas Neverauskas, sent a letter to the U.S. Ambassador in Lithuania, Mrs. Anne Holl regarding the issue in the Janus vs AFSCME case.
By this letter LITUF and its members express solidarity with PSI’s affiliates in the United States of America on their significant struggle in defending worker rights.
Please find the letter below:
