Kentucky Teachers Can Open an Offensive. There's a Mood Out There

Dear Kentucky, teachers, educators, parents and allies,

Facts For Working People, has posted some articles from this blog on various forums as they related to education and at present, the situation in Kentucky which is a war zone to say the least

Facts For Working People has these conference calls weekly to discuss events that are of interest to working people and our communities. Some of you from Kentucky have participated in them. We had an update on the situation in Kentucky today and we discussed what we felt would be the most productive way forward in the wake of the increased offensive of the state and its forces before March 28^th.

It’s clear that the state demanding names and information of those teachers who called in sick then promising not to punish anyone as long as there were no more stoppages, is aimed at halting your heroic struggle to defend education, teachers and our communities. They are demanding you back off or else.  This is what some of us refer to as economic terrorism on the part of the state.

Those of us that participated in the discussion felt that it would be a mistake to draw back in the face of these threats as it will empower the state and the big money behind these attacks even further. We have to accept in our minds that there is no shortage of money in US society. So we felt that it is important to go on the offensive and do whatever you can to get a huge turnout for March 28^th and shut down the schools once more.

Nationally, rank and file led struggles have opened a new era in the US labor movement.  In Kentucky we have seen similar developments and there are posts on the blog describing events there. But we felt that along with this and what will definitely strengthen your hand, would be to contact some of the rank and file activists, that like yourselves, by-passed the official union leadership and led protests in states where strikes are illegal. While the leadership on some cases were supportive after the fact, they followed the ranks.

In Puerto Rico, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado and elsewhere there are rank and file and genuine leaders who are pushing back against this corporate offensive. There are also similar issues that affect each area not just the destruction of pensions which is happening throughout the country; one of them is the reluctance of the official leadership of the unions at the highest levels to reach out and link up with communities sufficiently. In the inner cities there are serious economic problems around jobs, racism and police brutality. In Kentucky similar conditions exist in the communities of color and in the Eastern part of the state there are also similar crises among poor white communities. We all have more in common than anything that divides us. Uniting our forces is how we win.

Might we suggest that those parents, teachers and allies that have led the resistance against cuts in Kentucky contact these rank and file leaders in other areas with the intention of organizing a conference in Kentucky to plan and develop a more general national response to this offensive. A Coordinating Committee to defend education and our communities or whatever people decide.  There is nothing the employers want more than to keep these struggles isolated having us all fighting these assaults on our living standards separately. In the 1980’s, during the great strikes that took place, a conference called the National Rank and File Against Concessions was organized but it was unfortunately wrecked by left sectarianism. There is a good account of this in Peter Rachleff’s book, Hard Pressed in the Heartland

In August last year, teachers at an Indiana Elementary school were taken in to a room, told to kneel and face a wall and shot with a pellet gun in an “active shooter” training session. Teachers were injured. These teachers can be contacted. Activists in Flint fighting poisonous water can be contacted and there are others fighting similar battles. Spreading the fight is our best defense.

Those of us at facts For Working People place our blog at your disposal in organizing such an event. We recognize we are not there on the ground with you, that you are up against a powerful opponent that can be scary but we have the numbers. It the same with all bullies, they won’t stop on their own.

We share these views with you in solidarity and recognize that whatever you do, the decision is yours. We hope you accept these comments as good faith suggestions. No matter what you do, your fight is our fight and we will be in it with you to the extent that our resources permit.

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