We stand, we fight, and we win together: union strong!
Political action work is one of the most important kinds of work a union does. The NCCFT has a strong and active Political Action Committee (PAC), which helps us:
- Go on the offensive when we need to in response to legislative and other government initiatives
- Get the “right people,” i.e., those who support us, elected to office
- Build and maintain relationships with candidates and elected officials
- Get more members engaged in the political process
- Keep the NCCFT on the radar of government officials
Our PAC has been working hard to help ensure we have labor/union friendly politicians in the county legislature, the county executive office, and the state legislature. They have made phone calls, walked door to door with candidates, and sent mailing to fellow NYSUT members. They have lobbied locally and in Albany for public education, at NCC, in higher ed in general, and at the K-12 level.
As active as we are, however, we cannot do it alone. There is strength in numbers. Our PAC works with other union organizations, such as Long Island Federation of labor, NYSUT, AFT, and the AFL-CIO, just to name a few. By forming these coalitions, we have achieved more then we could alone, magnifying our financial and human resources, as well as allowing an exchange of information, skills and experience.
In addition to working to get union friendly politicians in office, the NCCFT PAC helped get the word out to vote no on Proposition 1 regarding the Constitutional Convention in November’s election. The efforts of the NCCFT PAC, NYSUT and all NY unions helped defeat this proposition 1, which, had it passed, could have devastated unions by making possible changes to, or the elimination of (among other things), the Triborough Amendment to the Taylor Law. Click here to learn more about the Triborough amendment.
There is more trouble on the horizon. The US Supreme Court is expected to rule on the Janus case in June. Therefore, it is more important than ever to get involved in political action. If you have any interest in joining the NCCFT political action committee, please call the union office.
One Response
Thanks, Dawn, for your vigilance, and thanks especially for joining in the overwhelming effort to defeat the NYS Constitutional Convention. The Right will spare no expense to undermine democracy, the rule of law, and the interests of the mass of the people, including those of us who take seriously our mission to educate the majority.
I would just add that these efforts need not ONLY be directed at the support of some political partisans over others, useful as that may be in the moment. So thanks again for making it clear that it has been the UNION movement that has enabled the defeat of the Convention…and will go on to help the defeat, nationally as well as locally, of those who sought to promote that dangerous political tool.