Inspiration from Local 33

There was a sitcom in the early 60's that was followed by a movie of the same name in the 90's, featuring 2 lovable NYC cops, Toody and Muldoon.
The Theme song spoke of everything going wrong at the same time:

There's a holdup in the Bronx,
Brooklyn's broken out in fights;
There's a traffic jam in Harlem
That's backed up to Jackson Heights;
There's a Scout troop short a child,
Khrushchev's due at Idlewild ...
Car 54, Where Are You??

Sometimes, as a Labor leader, the world feels like the NYC depicted in that song.

We have a new Supreme Court Justice who tips the court in the favor of large corporate interests and away from the interests of working families.
We have an administration and House of Representatives who need a "victory" so bad they they have passed a healthcare bill that will strip 24 million Americans of coverage, and devastate state, local and hospital budgets.
We have a Secretary of Education who doesn't believe in public education.
In spite of record low unemployment, we have a budget crisis in many states, including Connecticut, the richest state in the richest country in the world, because we lack the courage to stand up to corporations and ask the top 1% to pay their fair share to a society from which they have received the most.
As we speak, many of our state employee members are receiving layoff notices, while their leadership works to try to find a way to protect their jobs and their hard earned benefits. 
And there's more.

Sometimes, in the mist of dealing with all this, you have to take a deep breath, and return to your roots for strength.

Last Saturday at the AFT Connecticut convention, we invited speakers from Unite Here Local 33 to share with us their fight.
I was moved.
I have been following this but to hear it from them was powerful.
The grad students at Yale University have been fighting for the right to form a union for 23 years.
23 years!
Recently, they were successful in gaining the right to have a vote in which they voted yes and are now a union.
Yale refuses to to negotiate, probably hoping the Trump Administration will change the makeup of the NLRB, which regulates private sector unions, and reverse their right to vote yes.
The grad students have entered into a period of actions, including a month long fast in which 8 grad students are consuming nothing but water, to try to force Yale to the table.
As someone who faced strong opposition and intimidation in the organizing of my hospital, such dedication is personal and very moving to me.

On Tuesday, the leadership of the Connecticut AFL-CIO visited the fasters.  Unable to join them, I visited yesterday. 
Being a nurse, they put me to work doing a wellness check. The fasters are closely monitored by a physician team and daily wellness checks are performed, including vital signs and blood sugar checks, by nurses and other healthcare professionals.

As Jan described her visit on Tuesday, "It's powerful."
I agree.

This is the "why" of our advocacy. It's about finding a voice for working men and women. 
This is returning to our roots.
This is the inspiration and strength that allows us to fight the multiple simultaneous "crisis's."

Monday morning, the Labor Movement will stand with our grad students at the Yale Commencement and demand the University treat them with repsect.
I hope you can join us.

For more inf see Local 33 web site and FB page.