Subject: Re: Union Leaders, Members on SCOTUS Grant of Cert in Friedrichs v. CTA
From: Dan Schwerin <[email-masked]>
To: Amanda Renteria <[email-masked]>
Cc: Jake Sullivan <[email-masked]>, "Ann O'Leary" <[email-masked]>, Maya Harris <[email-masked]>, Christina Reynolds <[email-masked]>, Nikki Budzinski <[email-masked]>, John Podesta <[email-masked]>, Robby Mook <[email-masked]>, Brynne Craig <[email-masked]>, Marlon Marshall <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2015 17:02:54 -0400

Would a tweet not do the trick here?

On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 2:04 PM, Amanda Renteria <
[email-masked]> wrote:

> I worry about being talking "fees".
> I like staying more at platitudes about what unions have done for workers.
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jun 30, 2015, at 1:50 PM, Jake Sullivan <[email-masked]>
> wrote:
>
> Adding Dan.
>
>
>
> On Jun 30, 2015, at 1:44 PM, Ann O'Leary <[email-masked]>
> wrote:
>
> I took a stab at a first draft.  COMMS - Can you play with this and send
> it back around?
>
> Today, the United State Supreme Court announced that next term it will
> hear the case of *Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association*, which
> calls into question the right of public sector to collect a “fair share”
> fee when it bargains for non-union members.  These fees ensure that our
> public sector unions can continue their fight for fair wages and benefits
> that teachers, nurses, child care workers, EMTs, and so many others deserve
> who serve our children and our communities day in and day out.  These
> workers deserve to be part of the strong middle class in America and their
> unions help to make it so.  I will be watching this case closely and will
> be standing firmly united behind our unions in their fight for their right
> to bargain collectively for the higher wages that reflect the value of
> their work.
>
> On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 9:59 AM, Maya Harris <[email-masked]>
> wrote:
>
>> We support crafting a statement. Key is to stay at high level reaffirming
>> her support for protecting workers' right to organize and perhaps stating
>> hope Court will do the same (think she expressed hope SCOTUS would rule in
>> favor of marriage equality while the case was still pending). But we don't
>> want it to look like she's getting ahead of them (e.g., predicting a bad
>> outcome) since they've just taken the case and we don't know the result.
>>
>> On Jun 30, 2015, at 11:07 AM, Christina Reynolds <
>> [email-masked]> wrote:
>>
>> Defer to policy on this—Ann/Maya?
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Amanda Renteria [mailto:[email-masked]]
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 30, 2015 11:06 AM
>> *To:* Nikki Budzinski
>> *Cc:* Maya Harris; Ann O'Leary; Christina Reynolds; John Podesta; Robby
>> Mook; Brynne Craig; Marlon Marshall
>> *Subject:* Re: FW: Union Leaders, Members on SCOTUS Grant of Cert in
>> Friedrichs v. CTA
>>
>>
>>
>> comms/policy - thoughts?
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 11:04 AM, Nikki Budzinski <
>> [email-masked]> wrote:
>>
>> Would it be possible to get a statement today?  We can use it to bring
>> with us to policy and political meetings with the labor movement we have in
>> DC tomorrow and Thursday.  This would be very helpful.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 10:29 AM, Amanda Renteria <
>> [email-masked]> wrote:
>>
>> Agree. This would go along way if she said something about this.  She
>> knows this issue well from her briefings, etc.  +Policy +Reynolds
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 10:10 AM, Nikki Budzinski <
>> [email-masked]> wrote:
>>
>> Below is the statement that public sector unions jointly put out in
>> response to Friedrichs.  I'm talking to them about their next steps later
>> today.  Nikki
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Maiers, Staci [NEA] [mailto:[email-masked] <[email-masked]>]
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 30, 2015 9:40 AM
>> *Subject:* Union Leaders, Members on SCOTUS Grant of Cert in Friedrichs
>> v. CTA
>> *Importance:* High
>>
>>
>>
>>          **
>>
>>
>>
>> For Immediate Release
>> Contact:   NEA:         Staci Maiers, 202-270-5333
>>
>> June 30,
>> 2015
>> AFT:          Kate Childs Graham, 202-393-6354
>>
>>
>> CTA:         Frank Wells, 562-708-5425
>>
>>    AFSCME:  Marianne von Nordeck, 202-429-4309
>>
>>
>> SEIU:        Beau Boughamer, 202-730-7158
>>
>>
>>
>> *PUBLIC SERVICE WORKERS ON SUPREME COURT GRANT*
>>
>> *OF CERT IN FRIEDRICHS V. CTA*
>>
>>
>>
>> *Lawsuit Seeks to Curtail Freedom of Firefighters, Teachers, Nurses,
>> First-Responders to Stick Together and Advocate for Better Public Services,
>> Better Communities*
>>
>>
>>
>> *Jeopardizes American Promise that Hard Work Leads Families to a Decent
>> Life*
>>
>>
>>
>> WASHINGTON—NEA President Lily Eskelsen García, AFT President Randi
>> Weingarten, CTA President Eric C. Heins, AFSCME President Lee Saunders, and
>> SEIU President Mary Kay Henry issued the following joint statement today in
>> response to U.S. Supreme Court granting cert to *Friedrichs v.
>> California Teachers Association*:
>>
>>
>>
>> “We are disappointed that at a time when big corporations and the wealthy
>> few are rewriting the rules in their favor, knocking American families and
>> our entire economy off-balance, the Supreme Court has chosen to take a case
>> that threatens the fundamental promise of America—that if you work hard and
>> play by the rules you should be able to provide for your family and live a
>> decent life.
>>
>>
>>
>> “The Supreme Court is revisiting decisions that have made it possible for
>> people to stick together for a voice at work and in their
>> communities—decisions that have stood for more than 35 years—and that have
>> allowed people to work together for better public services and vibrant
>> communities.
>>
>>
>>
>> “When people come together in a union, they can help make sure that our
>> communities have jobs that support our families. It means teachers can
>> stand up for their students. First responders can push for critical
>> equipment to protect us. And social workers can advocate effectively for
>> children’s safety.
>>
>>
>>
>> “America can’t build a strong future if people can’t come together to
>> improve their work and their families’ futures. Moms and dads across the
>> country have been standing up in the thousands to call for higher wages and
>> unions. We hope the Supreme Court heeds their voices.”
>>
>>
>>
>> And public servants are speaking out, too, about how *Friedrichs v. CTA*
>> would undermine their ability to provide vital services the public depends
>> on. In their own words:
>>
>>
>>
>> “As a school campus monitor, my job is to be on the front lines to make
>> sure our students are safe. Both parents and students count on me—it’s a
>> responsibility that I take very seriously. It’s important for me to have
>> the right to voice concerns over anything that might impede the safety of
>> my students, and jeopardizing my ability to speak up for them is a risk for
>> everyone.”
>>
>> *—Carol Peek, a school campus security guard from Ventura, Calif.*
>>
>>
>>
>> “I love my students, and I want them to have everything they need to get
>> a high-quality public education. When educators come together, we can speak
>> with the district about class size, about adequate staffing, about the need
>> for counselors, nurses, media specialists and librarians in schools. And we
>> can advocate for better practices that serve our kids. With that collective
>> voice, we can have conversations with the district that we probably
>> wouldn’t be able to have otherwise―and do it while engaging our
>> communities, our parents and our students.”
>>
>> *—Kimberly Colbert, a classroom teacher from St. Paul, Minn.*
>>
>>
>>
>> “As a mental health worker, my colleagues and I see clients who are
>> getting younger and more physical. Every day we do our best work to serve
>> them and keep them safe, but the risk of injury and attack is a sad, scary
>> reality of the job. But if my coworkers and I come together and have a
>> collective voice on the job, we can advocate for better patient care,
>> better training and equipment, and safe staffing levels. This is about all
>> of us. We all deserve safety and dignity on the job, because we work
>> incredibly hard every day and it’s certainly not glamorous.”
>>
>> *—Kelly Druskis-Abreu, a mental health worker from Worcester, Mass.*
>>
>>
>>
>> “Our number one job is to protect at-risk children. Working together,
>> front-line social workers and investigators have raised standards and
>> improved policies that keep kids safe from abuse and neglect. I can't
>> understand why the Supreme Court would consider a case that could make it
>> harder for us to advocate for the children and families we serve—this work
>> is just too important.”
>>
>> *—Ethel Everett, a child protection worker from Springfield, Mass. *
>>
>>
>>
>> ###
>>
>>
>>
>> *About the National Education Association*
>>
>> *The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional
>> employee organization, representing nearly 3 million elementary and
>> secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support
>> professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students
>> preparing to become teachers. Learn more at **www.nea.org*
>> <http://www.nea.org/>* and follow on Twitter at @NEAmedia.*
>>
>>
>>
>> *About the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)*
>>
>> *The American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, was
>> founded in 1916 and today represents 1.6 million members in more than 3,000
>> local affiliates nationwide. AFT represents pre-K through 12th-grade
>> teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher
>> education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local
>> government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals. Go
>> online to **www.aft.org* <http://www.aft.org/>* or @AFTunion to find out
>> more.*
>>
>>
>>
>> *About the California Teachers Association (CTA)*
>>
>> *The 325,000-member California Teachers Association is affiliated with
>> the 3 million-member National Education Association. Find out more at *
>> *www.cta.org* <http://www.cta.org/>* and follow CTA on Twitter at
>> @CATeachersAssoc.*
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *About the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
>> (AFSCME)**AFSCME is the nation’s largest and fastest growing public
>> service employees union with more than 1.6 million working and retired
>> members. AFSCME’s members provide the vital services that make America
>> happen. We are nurses, corrections officers, child care providers, EMTs,
>> sanitation workers and more. Read more online at **www.afscme.org*
>> <http://www.afscme.org/>* and @AFSCME.*
>>
>>
>>
>> *About the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)*
>>
>> *The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) unites 2 million
>> diverse members in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The nation’s
>> largest health care union, SEIU represents nurses, LPNs, doctors, lab
>> technicians, nursing home workers, and home care workers in addition to
>> building cleaning and security industries, including janitors, security
>> officers, superintendents, maintenance workers, window cleaners, and
>> doormen and women. SEIU also represents public workers including local and
>> state government workers, public school employees, bus drivers, and child
>> care providers. Learn more at **www.seiu.org* <http://www.seiu.org/>* and
>> @SEIU.  *
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *******************************************************************
>> Only the individual sender is responsible for the content of the
>> message, and the message does not necessarily reflect the position
>> or policy of the National Education Association or its affiliates.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Nikki Budzinski
>>
>> Labor Outreach Director
>>
>> Hillary for America
>>
>> 646-854-1442 (direct)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Amanda Renteria
>>
>> National Political Director
>>
>> Hillary for America #Hillary2016
>>
>> 559-426-5756 (o)
>>
>> 650-868-1188 (c)
>>
>> Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/renteriaforcongress> or Twitter
>> <https://twitter.com/AmandaRenteria>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Nikki Budzinski
>>
>> Labor Outreach Director
>>
>> Hillary for America
>>
>> 646-854-1442 (direct)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Amanda Renteria
>>
>> National Political Director
>>
>> Hillary for America #Hillary2016
>>
>> 559-426-5756 (o)
>>
>> 650-868-1188 (c)
>>
>> Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/renteriaforcongress> or Twitter
>> <https://twitter.com/AmandaRenteria>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Ann O'Leary
> Senior Policy Advisor
> Hillary for America
> Cell: 510-717-5518
>
>