Last week the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 case. With a conservative majority in the court, it is widely expected that a narrow majority will rule this spring to overturn decades of precedent and eliminate the ability of public sector unions to collect fair share, or agency fees. While promoted as a case about the First Amendment rights of employees, the Janus case is a straightforward attempt by deep-pocketed interests to limit the voice of educators and other public sector workers, with the ultimate goal of threatening our ability to advocate for the pay, benefits, and working conditions that we need to get our important work done. In our local, we have accomplished much because we have stuck together. Just look at the gains in our 2017-18 contract that members vote on this week! Now much of what we have won is at risk. But we know this isn't just about our pay and benefits. We also know that the best way to protect our students and our schools is to stand together to raise standards for our profession and to ensure our schools and vital public services have the resources they need. And we are not going to back down in our efforts to defend our professions and our schools, regardless of what the Supreme Court decides in the Janus case. Thanks to all of you who have supported PFF. If you've been meaning to join, please complete the online commitment form (and we'll follow up to get your inked signature) https://leadernet.aft.org/webform/palomar-faculty-federation-application-membership We encourage Palomar faculty to join us at the upcoming meeting on Thursday, March 8, from 4:30-6p at the off-campus office (370 Mulberry Dr., # E, San Marcos 92069). Join your fellow faculty at this important meeting, where we will outline our next steps to ensure that we stand together for our jobs and our schools.