Australia: Queensland teachers strike for first time in 16 years
The strike follows an almost unanimous vote last month of the Queensland Teachers Union’s 48,000 members in a ballot calling for a series of 24-hour strikes.
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.
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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.
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Berlin state executive to impose brutal austerity amid rising debt
Education Senator (state minister) Katharina Günther-Wünsch is demanding an end to free school meals and free student public transport passes.
Markus Salzmann•
Trump administration freezes over $300 million in UCLA research funds in attack on science and dissent
The Trump administration’s defunding of UCLA is a political attack on scientific research, academic freedom and opposition to genocide.
Marc Wells•
Australian childcare worker explains unsafe conditions
An experienced early education worker outlines conditions in childcare centres, especially those run for profit, and the lack of training and experience among many younger workers.
Erika Zimmer•
Our correspondents•
Barry Mason•
Kristina Betinis•
A WSU Rank-and-File Committee member•
Sterling Oliver•
The lessons of the Philadelphia municipal strike and the way forward
The Philadelphia municipal strike was not the end but the opening act in a rapid series of confrontations in Philadelphia and beyond.
Philadelphia Workers Rank-and-File Strike Committee•
Union seeks to shut down Philadelphia-wide strike movement as rank-and-file resists
The agreement is aimed at blocking a growing rank-and-file rebellion and preventing the resurgence of a powerful citywide strike movement.
our reporters•
Online meeting Monday: Override AFSCME’s sellout of the Philadelphia strike! Build the Philadelphia Workers Rank-and-File Strike Committee!
This is a call to action for all workers who want to defend their rights. Don’t let the bureaucrats and city officials decide your future behind closed doors!
Philadelphia Workers Rank-and-File Strike Committee•
Vote “No” on the Canada Post contract! Mobilize all workers against concessions and state strikebreaking, and for good-paying, secure jobs!
Postal workers must make a massive "No" vote the starting point for relaunching their struggle as the spearhead of a working-class industrial and political counter-offensive.
Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee (Canada)•
Philadelphia Workers Rank-and-File Strike Committee•
our reporter•
USPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee•
Roger Jordan•
Mack and Volvo Trucks Workers Rank-and-File Committees•
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.