Hundreds of angry demonstrators marched through Foley Square Wednesday to express their outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision limiting the power of public employee unions.
The nation’s high court, in a 5 to 4 vote, ruled that public employees who benefit from collective bargaining do not have to pay union dues. The decision, called Janus v. AFSCME, is expected to financially weaken organize labor.
Queens College professor Barbara Bowen, the president of the CUNY professor’s union, Professional Staff Congress, vowed that the fight isn’t over. She said that despite this decision her union is growing and she has more members than ever before.
“Today we had a rush of people wanting to join,” Bowen said. “So today is about people joining unions. It’s not about people leaving.”
Picketers held signs that read, “If you can read this, thank a teachers union” and “Teachers ready for class war #RedForEd.”
Bowen said she’s planned this March a month in advance, telling everyone no matter what day the decision is made we’ll be outside the United States Courthouse at 5pm.
“We wanted everyone to come and did it as an old fashion Union rally,” Bowen said, as protestors marched in a circle taking up the entire park.
“This decision normalizes freeloading,” Public Advocate Letitia James said.
“The labor movement is under attack,” she said. “And is is not no time to retreat. No time to give up. No time to give in.”
She said the high court’s ruling not only hurts unions, but also working families and the middle class.
“It was unions that built the middle class and people need to understand that,” James said.
City Controller Scott Stringer also attended the rally.
