Royal Oak, Michigan parents oppose fascist high school club
A packed meeting of the Royal Oak Board of Education heard parents describe the forming of a Turning Point USA club at the local high school as a threat to their children.
Esther Galen•
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.
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Australia: False claims of “backflip” on job and course cuts at University Technology Sydney
At the UTS rally, union speakers claimed to be “winning,” even as the vice-chancellor’s update showed that the majority of the cuts and course closures are still proceeding.
Erika Zimmer•
Teachers in secondary school in Bacup, England to strike demanding face to face qualified teacher in the classroom
School management have employed a virtual teacher 300 miles away in Devon because of the chronic shortage of maths teachers.
Margot Miller•
Rolling strikes continue in New Zealand
The trade unions are preparing to impose pay settlements of 3 percent increases or less, well below the soaring cost of living.
John Braddock•
Antony Walsh•
Nancy Hanover, Kimie Saito•
Antony Walsh•
Andrea Peters•
Kaye Tucker•
Postal workers: Come forward with information on workplace deaths and unsafe conditions!
“The only way we will see justice is if we reveal the truth, hold accountable those responsible for the conditions that put us in harm’s way, and set up our own shop floor organizations to take control.”
USPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee•
For a rank-and-file inquiry into the deaths of USPS workers Nick Acker and Russell Scruggs, Jr.!
An inquiry, organized by workers and not corrupt union bureaucrats, is needed to arm workers with the knowledge they need to defend themselves and go on the offensive against the regime of corporate dictatorship in the workplaces which makes these deaths inevitable.
International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees•
Defend the social rights of the working class! For an independent, global movement against mass layoffs!
Workers must fight for workers’ power and workers’ control over production, harnessing the surplus created by new technologies to improve, not lower, the standard of living for the masses.
International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees•
“Reject the politics of compromise and subordination”: Open letter from California nurse to New Orleans nurses
“The path forward lies in organizing independently—through the creation of rank-and-file committees democratically controlled by nurses themselves—to wage a genuine fight for your demands.”
Liz Cabrera•
National Steel Car Rank-and-File Committee•
International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees•
Roger Jordan•
Philadelphia Workers Rank-and-File Strike Committee•
Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee (Canada)•
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.