Australia: Victorian educators speak out at strike rally in Melbourne
“The lack of resources is making staff leave and the wages are not enough. That is the situation for a lot of us. To survive I have a second job.”
Our reporters•
Educators Rank-and-File Committee
The Educators Rank-and-File Committee is an international network of educators, students, parents, and workers fighting for workers power in the schools, to stop the capitalist destruction of public education and eliminate COVID-19.
Get involved!
Fill out this form to join the rank-and-file committee nearest you. If there is not already a committee in your area, we will help you get one started.
Connect with us
Subscribe to our email newsletter to get the latest news, analysis, and political perspective for educators, in your inbox.
Australia: Second strike by Victorian teachers deepens crisis for Labor government and unions
As it has done from the outset, the Australian Education Union will do everything possible to prevent any further industrial action by wearing down opposition to its sell-out deal with the government.
Sue Phillips•
Australia: Educators form rank-and-file committee in Victoria amid rejection of sellout deal, mass strike tomorrow
The continued attempts by the AEU bureaucracy to force through a sellout, and the mass opposition of educators, underscores the crucial importance of the new rank-and-file committee aimed at organising teachers and staff independently.
Committee for Public Education•
Staff and students oppose sellout union deals at Western Sydney University
The resolution passed at yesterday’s lunchtime meeting was part of the campaign for a No Vote by all WSU staff members on the regressive enterprise agreements that management and the two campus trade unions are trying to rush through.
Western Sydney University Rank-and-File Committee•
Kimie Saito, Renae Cassimeda, Marc Wells•
Committee for Public Education•
Can Denizli, Ulaş Sevinç•
Sue Phillips•
Tom Pearce, Tania Kent•
Australian industrial workers denounce death threat against Will Lehman
“When I saw the picture posted it made me feel sick to my stomach. It shows that the UAW leadership are scared of Will. Why else would you threaten him and try to intimidate him?”
Industrial Workers Rank-and-File Group (Australia)•
Build rank-and-file power at National Steel Car in opposition to the nationalist, corporatist USW apparatus!
The conditions we’re fighting against are not unique to our plant. Manufacturing and industrial workers across North America confront the same onslaught on their conditions, pay and jobs.
A member of the National Steel Car Rank-and-File Committee•
Australia: Educators form rank-and-file committee in Victoria amid rejection of sellout deal, mass strike tomorrow
The continued attempts by the AEU bureaucracy to force through a sellout, and the mass opposition of educators, underscores the crucial importance of the new rank-and-file committee aimed at organising teachers and staff independently.
Committee for Public Education•
Staff and students oppose sellout union deals at Western Sydney University
The resolution passed at yesterday’s lunchtime meeting was part of the campaign for a No Vote by all WSU staff members on the regressive enterprise agreements that management and the two campus trade unions are trying to rush through.
Western Sydney University Rank-and-File Committee•
Committee for Public Education•
Western Sydney University Rank-and-File Committee•
Volkswagen Action Committee•
Statement of the Nexteer Workers Rank-and-File Committee•
USPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee•
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the term “rank-and-file” mean and where does it come from?
“Rank-and-file” is originally a military term. It refers to the lower “ranks” of soldiers, who literally stand in lines or “files”. These soldiers have a different set of interests in preserving their lives than the officers or “brass” who prosecute the wars on behalf of the ruling elite.
Rank-and-file committees are of, by and for the rank-and-file workers, who have a different set of interests in preserving their lives than management, the bosses, the politicians, and the trade union apparatus, who send workers to die while defending the profits of the ruling elite.
Is it legal to build rank-and-file committees of educators and other workers to stop the spread of COVID-19?
Yes. The formation of rank-and-file committees is 100% completely legal under the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
The right to freedom of speech means you can say whatever you like about what you agree or disagree with. Freedom of association, also covered under the first amendment, means you have the right to associate with others who share your views, for political ends. You also have the right to petition the government for redress, to make demands on the government and tell them what you want them to do.
Does HIPAA law prevent schools or workplaces from disclosing information about the spread of COVID-19?
No. HIPAA has an exception for disclosures to prevent and control the spread of disease, but the state is deliberately not invoking this exception in order to conceal information from workers, so that they can pretend that what they are doing is safe when it’s not.
Rank-and-file educators have the right to know who’s gotten sick, where, when, and what happened. Rank-and-file committees have to demand this information, and have to share it with other workers as a matter of collective self defense.