Teacher Union Day Leave out Membership Numbers
One of the “perils” the United Federation of Teachers faced this year was the landmark National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation-won Supreme Court victory in Janus v AFSCME. National Right to Work attorney William L. Messenger fought hard to bring all public sector employees the freedom to join or refrain from union membership or having to support a union against their will. While teacher union officials planned for considerable membership losses, it looks like they’re keeping mum about exactly what happened now they are no longer able to force teachers to pay dues. Apparently the United Federation of Teachers celebrated their “successes” on Teacher Union Day, bragging about increases in membership, but failed to produce any membership numbers. Michael Murphy is in charge of the party on uft.org.
The union faced some of the gravest threats in its history over the past year. At Teacher Union Day, members celebrated how the UFT had emerged stronger than ever because they had banded together to face those challenges.
More than 1,400 people gathered on Nov. 4 at the New York Hilton in Midtown Manhattan to celebrate the founding members who built the UFT and recognize the members who are leading the union into the future. The event is held on the first Sunday in November to mark the anniversary of the 1960 teachers’ strike that set the UFT into motion.