Tag: State Policy Network

This week the US supreme court may have given the Koch Brothers yet another tool to help them achieve something they have been dreaming of for decades: weakening the power of public-sector unions. The aim of the plaintiff’s case is to eliminate “fair share fees”, dividing public sector workers and limiting their power in numbers. A 10-page fundraising letter from the Koch-backed State Policy Network, obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy, says that by undermining unions, they can ensure “the permanent collapse of progressive politics”. They also want to weaken the movements that working people support. Unions are a political and economic pillar of the progressive community, providing a venue for millions of working people to make a difference on the issues they care about. If the US supreme court undermines the power of unions with its decision on Janus, working people will end up with fewer resources and less collective power. Such a ruling could further tilt the balance of political power in favor of the polluters who prioritize their profits over clean air, clean water and a livable climate. This attack on the ability of public sector unions to operate comes at a time when the environmental, climate and labor movements are working in closer solidarity than ever before. Over the past few years, unions like Service Employees International Union and United Steelworkers have closely allied with environmental groups on the Paris climate accord and the Clean Power Plan, and have fought for clean air and clean water in cities from Flint to Los Angeles. Union members turned out in record numbers for the People’s Climate March.