Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where we have been following the excitement among organized labor regarding Tim Walz’s selection.
NEA Uses Scab Labor to Send Out Tim Walz Announcement
Earlier today, teachers union celebrated the selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Harris’ Vice President pick.
A high school teacher and football coach, Walz, had previously been a member of the AFT. Their union president, Randi Weingarten, who had pushed Walz behind the scenes, celebrated Walz’s selection.
“Gov. Walz is a proud educator who drew on his experience in the classroom to show Minnesotans what a pro-education, pro-labor administration can look like. He is from a small town, served in the military and has consistently given back to his community. He believes the essence of America is to be kind to your neighbor and to help those around you thrive,” Weingarten said in a statement.
National Education Association President Becky Pringle also sent a statement congratulating Walz on his selection. The statement was picked by several outlets and run in full by the progressive website Common Dreams.
However, a month ago, the NEA locked out over 300 members of its staff union the NEASO. Members of the union objected to the statement.
“It is infuriating, disappointing, and heartbreaking to see how the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union, uses scab labor to generate enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz election,” said NEASO President Robin McClean, in a statement.
For that latest on the lockout, check out the website of the staff union.
Walz’s Track Record on Labor
Over at Slate, veteran labor reporter Steven Greenhouse has a look at Walz’s labor record:
Last year, long before his name was on anyone’s lips as a possible vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz received huge praise from labor groups for signing what was considered the most pro-worker, pro-family package of legislation enacted by any state in decades.
That legislation called for 12 weeks’ paid family and medical leave, banned noncompete clauses, prohibited anti-union captive audience meetings, and created a statewide council to improve conditions for nursing home workers. Not stopping there, the legislation included innovative provisions to protect workers at Amazon and other warehouses from high-speed work quotas and unfair firings.
“Tim Walz has been great,” said Bernie Burnham, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO. “We’ve loved working with him. He thinks all the time about working people, thinks about families, thinks about children. We’re very excited to share him with everybody else.”
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Love & Solidarity,
Melk
