Two Teachers Attend Friedrichs v. CTA
At 6:45 a.m., braving about 30ยบ weather, we took a cab down to the Supreme Court building. Although we got there around 7 a.m., we were still 30th in line. We understood clearly that were were in line to witness the case that could destroy the unions that we belong to with pride—Melissa as a member of the National Education Association and Marla a member of the American Federation of Teachers. We have personal involvement in this case, enough that spurred us to spend a better part of our summer co-writing and submitting an Amicus Brief to be read by the Justices.
The date was January 11th; the court case was Friedrichs vs. CTA.
As we stood on the sidewalk, we watched the demonstrators line up. By the end of the morning, the “I stand with Rebecca” crowd numbered about 50 supporters, the union side about 500. We stood in line for about 3 ½. At approximately 10:05 we were let into the Court to witness the entire oral argument.
We were overwhelmed
We were to be witnesses to history
Would it be the history that saves our unions?
or
Would it be the history that destroys our unions?
Here are our thoughts as we listened from the eyes and ears of two teachers.
Here is the full transcript of the oral arguments.
We would like to share what we thought were some of the most poignant moments of this case. At the core of this case is the overturning of the four-decade-old case of Abood. Abood is the Supreme Court case that protects agency shop fees and thus holds up the ideals of “collective” bargaining. We would also like to address some of the comments that the Justices, Mr. Carvin, and Two Teachers Attend Friedrichs v. CTA - LA Progressive: