As a fellow Local 117 member, I'm concerned about recent attacks on our Union.

This week, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in a case - Friedrichs v. the California Teachers Association - that could have sweeping implications for working families in Washington and across this country.

At stake is whether we as correctional employees, police officers, firefighters, nurses, teachers, and other public servants in our cities and counties can continue to powerfully stand together to negotiate fair wages and benefits for our families.

The Friedrichs case is being bankrolled by wealthy special interests – the same groups that have helped pass so-called “right-to-work” (for less) laws in a number of states and rolled back collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin.

The impact of these laws has been profound. For the first time in decades, the majority of Americans do not belong to the middle class. Working people are struggling just to get by.

In anticipation of the Friedrichs decision, radical groups like the Freedom Foundation are trying to confuse us into abandoning our union membership. Don’t be fooled! The Freedom Foundation has a track record of attacking working families and trying to undermine our unions.

I also wanted to let you know about an exciting new project. It’s our Every Voice Counts campaign. The idea is for members to interview other members to find out what matters most to them, talk about the ongoing threats to unions, and to continue to build unity and strength.

Only by standing together and re-affirming our commitment to each other can we as union members preserve our hard-fought wages and benefits, raise standards in our jobs, and serve and protect our communities.

To learn more, visit our new website at www.FamilyStrengthCommunity.org and share it with your co-workers.

Thank you for working together to make our Union strong.

This post was submitted by Julie Yust, a Local 117 Shop Steward at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.